


Little Child Found

by GokuGirl



Series: Age of the Empire [2]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-11-23
Updated: 2004-11-23
Packaged: 2018-04-10 23:33:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4412213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GokuGirl/pseuds/GokuGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part Two of the Shukumei Trilogy. One day, a mother wolf stumbled upon a strange creature. It appeared to be human but was not. She took it in, unable to bear leaving the helpless little thing alone, and raised it as her own. Unfortunately, he does not fit in her world and she would do anything to see him happy--including giving him over to a human for care.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Author's Note:**  You don't actually have to read "Ghosts from the Past" before this fanfic since it has little to do with the other one.  
>  **Information Note:**  Most of my info about wolves came from [The Wolf Recovery Foundation](http://forwolves.org).  
>  **Acknowledgements:**  A big domo arigatou to Madoka for catching all of my goofy mistakes as my beta reader and to everyone who gave me advice. I also want to thank all of the reviewers and the people who took time to read this fic.

_The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found_  
Chapter 1

The sun rose and bathed the deep green field with a faint yellow glow. White flowers swayed gently in the light breeze and the grass rustled slightly with the passing of small animals. It was now the third month of summer and the day's temperature was already rising.  
  
He crouched in the knee-deep grass and extended his senses to the world around him. The boy could hear the soft breathing of his nearby brother as well as various noises from the birds and insects. It was hard for him to remain so quiet and it hurt that it came so easily to everyone else. Why wasn't he as graceful as the others? Why wasn't he so stealthy, so silent, so efficient, so deathly beautiful? He always tried his best, but it seemed that his best just wasn't good enough.  
  
Just a little closer... There! He was rapidly closing the gap between them, nearly beside his brother in the tall grass, and no sound had been made to alert his prey. The boy inched forward and reached out with small hands. Just a little bit further.... Not again!  
  
The wolf cub sprang sideways, tongue lolling from his mouth. The boy allowed himself to collapse face-down onto the grass as his brother ran around him in circles, yipping in triumph. He'd really tried this time but, once again, had not succeeded.  
  
What was wrong with him? He knew that he was different from everyone else, it was all too easy to spot the differences between the wolves and the boy, easy to notice that they were not of the same species. In the beginning, things had been... hard. The other wolves were so wary of his humanoid appearance, naturally equating the word "human" with "danger". But there was nothing they could do about it, not really. It was by the will of the alpha female that he remain among them, and she had taken control of the pack after her mate was killed by hunters the winter before.  
  
He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the blue sky. If he could have any wish in the world it would be for him to fit into his family, for him to be the same as they were. Oh, he supposed that there were good things about his body being the way that it was. Using his forelegs to grasp objects certainly helped when his long furry tail misbehaved and became caught between things. The tail itself was like a fifth appendage and was able to lift weight to a certain extent. No one else's could do that.  
  
The boy was shaken from his thoughts upon hearing the familiar howling of his mother. He answered as best he could and started off toward home. It was unusual for her to call him so early in the day.  
  
As he drew closer to the cave, he saw the gray-colored female wolf waiting for him with his other brothers and sisters. None of the other pups had really taken a liking to him though they willingly shared body heat during the cold winter nights. It could be said that it was more for their benefit than anything else. The pups were so much smaller than the boy that they were entirely surrounded by warmth while he still had quite a few areas exposed to the cold.  
  
The strong, healthy adults of the pack were gathering nearby in preparation for a hunt. Wondering just why he was called back, the boy turned questioning eyes to his mother. She nudged him in the direction of the hunters with a soft whine. He was to join them today.  
  
As he attempted to follow his favorite sibling, the little male wolf cub was grabbed by his mother and brought back to the others. There were still at least three more months before they were able to join the adults.  
  
With a happy smile, the boy joined the hunt.  
  


***

  
Not having ever seen the wolves in action before, the boy had no idea what to expect. The group trotted along at five miles an hour through the forest and the boy was easily able to keep up with them. He'd always had a high amount of stamina so the pace his elders set was really no problem at all.  
  
A few hours in, a large group of sike deer were spotted grazing in an open field. They seemed to be easy targets, requiring no extra effort to kill enough of the elder animals to feed the hungry pack. Moving quietly towards them, the five adults carefully took position by the weaker of the lot. They did not kill the healthy animals and, by focusing their sights only on the aged, injured, sick, or young, they kept the herd healthier as a whole.  
  
The lead hunter let out a deep growl that set the deer herd into motion. Attacking only those that lagged behind, the wolf hunters made off with a good amount of meat. The boy, though, was unable to even catch a youngling. So he was forced to share with an adult female who had a surplus and that caused him to feel a great deal of shame.  
  
His mother immediately noticed the downcast look of her cub and figured that his first hunt had not gone well. It was so important for him to be able to hunt on his own when she was no longer around to take care of him. With the realization that he could not survive in the wilderness alone came the bitter knowledge that she must take him to one who could care for him correctly. The alpha female had always known that he was not of her world, but had always hoped that he could adjust.  
  
It was not to be.  
  
The boy felt like allowing the misery to devour him like a great beast. He curled in the corner of their den and let the hot tears drip down his face. When he was, at last, completely cried out, the alpha female nudged him with her cold nose. She looked back towards the entrance of the cavern and the boy's eyes followed. With a quiet bark, she led him towards the mouth of the cave and out into the bright afternoon sunshine.  
  
Two of the weaker elders herded the pups back inside the cave as their mother lead the boy through their land and to the edge of the Unknown. A small house sat in a clearing, small white puffs of smoke emerging from the chimney, and a carefully tended garden in the back. He stood just on the edge, confused, until his mother pushed him gently forward.  
  
Tears once more flowed down the boy's chubby cheeks as he kneeled beside his mother and wrapped his arms around her neck. The alpha female licked his cheek affectionately then, once again, prodded him forward. With one last look, she turned and vanished into the forest.  
  
What was he to do? His mother left him all alone to fend for himself. There was no prey that he could catch and no shelter that he could build. It seemed to him that she considered him too weak for her to bother with, and made a decision to leave him in the forest for nature to deal with. Just as he'd abandoned all hope of survival, the front door of the small house opened and an old man with a long, thick white mustache poked his head outside.  
  
"Well, what do we have here?" he queried with a kind smile. "A little boy!"  
  
As the strange little man came closer, the boy took steps in the opposite direction. He knew that creatures such as this often had nothing but ill intent. His mother had taught all her children at a young age to stay away from humans. Yet -- the boy looked down at himself -- he appeared to be human as well.  
  
So he stopped his backward movement and stared upward in curiosity at the man.  
  
"I'm not going to hurt you, son," he said quietly as he crouched down to the boy's level. "My name's Son Gohan. What's yours?"  
  
Dark eyes blinked once, but that was the only response he received.  
  
Concern darkened Gohan's eyes. "First things first: we see about some clothes for you. Can't have you running around naked all of the time." He led the still-wary boy to the small, round house.  
  
The house was simple in both design and furnishings. It consisted of only three rooms: a bedroom, a bath, and a combination kitchen/living room. Gohan led the boy to the bedroom where he located a small enough shirt to fit his slight frame and then proceeded to fill the drum outside with water drawn from a nearby stream. As he set the small logs underneath the metal container afire, he discovered a small problem. "You're a bit too small to be in there by yourself, aren't you?"  
  
The boy cocked his head to the side and tried his best to understand what the old man was saying. The sounds that came from Gohan's mouth were unintelligible and completely foreign to the young child. He had heard nothing like them in all of his eight years on Planet Earth. His world had been filled with the barks, whines, whimpers, growls, and howls of his wolf family. Those canine utterings were all he had known.  
  
Soon the water was hot and Gohan doused the flames. Stripping bare, he carefully lowered himself over the side and into the relaxing warmth of the bath water. "C'mon over, son. The water's fine." He smiled and beckoned him forward with his hands. "You know, we *are* going to have to eventually come up with another name for you. Do you have one already?"  
  
Again, there was absolutely no response, but the boy did come to the edge of the drum. He allowed Gohan to place him in the water, and made small noises of delight when the old man poured a small capfull of bubble bath inside the drum. Playing happily in the bubbles, he almost didn't notice when Gohan began to wash the accumulated dirt and grime from his body.  
  
"It's as if you've never become acquainted with soap and hot water," the old man commented. His hand brushed against something furry and the bushy eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline. "Now, that can't be right. He's not old enough to grow hair down there..." He trailed off when the boy's furry tail emerged from the bath water.  
  
"Why didn't I notice that before?" he asked in a bewildered tone of voice. "How can I *not* notice a monkey-like tail waving in the breeze?!" Gohan trailed off when the sodden appendage wrapped itself around his wrist. A smile made its way across his face and it was echoed by his young charge.  
  
The bath continued with much laughter and splashing. The little boy, now thoroughly clean, was dried off and dressed in his brand new clothing. He tugged at the unfamiliar covering and his face twisted into one of distaste.  
  
"I know that it's a little confining, but it really isn't proper for you to go around without clothing. You just have to get use to them..." Gohan's face lit up. "I have the perfect name for you, Little One! You shall be called Goku because, I suspect, you would do the name proud."  
  
The remainder of the day was spent getting to know his new grandson. Goku was an unusual child, Gohan had to admit, never saying a word. At first he thought that he was deaf by the odd expressions that crossed the boy's face when his spoke, but then he would react to loud noises by covering his ears. Gohan eventually came to the conclusion that he was unable to speak for some reason or another. So, he settled down to teach him how.  
  
"Ojiisan," he said as he pointed towards his body. "Goku," he said as he pointed towards the boy. Dark eyes watched Gohan's mouth shape the words and his mind filed it away for later use. Someday he would speak... but not today.  
  
After dinner, Gohan tucked Goku into the bed beside his own. He told him that they would be going into town the next day to purchase a few things. "There is so much to see there, Goku. Very different from what you're probably used to."  
  
Goku laid awake and stared upward at the ceiling. He'd seen so many new things that day, more than he ever had before. A sleepy smile played across his face as his eyes slowly closed. There would be even more interesting things tomorrow.  
  


***

  
He jerked awake, heart pounding and breath coming in gasps. The boy could not clearly remember his dream, but knew that it had scared him like nothing before. He yearned for the warmth and reassurance of his mother.  
  
Quietly pushing back the blanket, Goku got to his feet and tip-toed across the tatami mats. He called to memory how to unlatch the door and successfully made it outside without waking Gohan. The old man had been an accomplished martial artist in his younger days so it had not been an easy feat.  
  
Low branches whipped past his body and exposed tree roots threatened to trip him as he ran through the forest. The usual grace was abandoned, the want of his mother taking precedence over all else. Goku tripped and a sharp rock sliced his knee open, but he ran on. His lungs burned from lack of oxygen, but still he ran on. Just when he thought he could run no longer, the entrance to his family's valley came into view.  
  
A bright, joyous smile made his eyes lit up. Fifty feet, twenty.... He slowed his pace and his body language spoke of wariness. Something was wrong.  
  
The beta male, who never really liked him in the first place, growled at the boy, teeth bared and tail rigid behind him. Goku knew that the grudging welcome extended by the beta and omega wolves no longer existed. He was now an outsider and no better than the humans who sought to kill them.  
  
Head bowed and tail dragging, Goku turned and went back the way he had come. There was only one place he could call home, one place in all the world where he felt even the tiniest measure of comfort and security. He would just have to make the best of a horrible situation, that's all. No use crying over the loss of family.  
  
Goku covered his ears and clenched his eyes shut. Maybe that would block the haunting sight and sound of the beta's hostility.  
  


***

  
Gohan awoke from a fairly pleasant dream with a sense that all was not right within his home. Rubbing his eyes, he rolled over to check on Goku and immediately noticed that he was gone. Hopping quickly to his feet, he grabbed his bo staff and followed the trail left by the boy's recklessness.  
  
There was a small trail of destruction left by Goku's run through the forest that led him over two miles into the darkness of Meimori. When he began to hear a deep growling that seemed to come from everywhere at once, he hastened his pace.  
  
His adopted grandson was curled into a ball on the ground, ears covered and eyes shut. Not hearing the approach of Gohan's soft footfalls, he was startled when the old man placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Goku? Are you alright?"  
  
Tears began to trickle down his cheeks and he buried his head into Gohan's chest. In-between small gasps of breath, he murmured, "Jiisan."  
  
"You spoke..." the old man breathed in wonder. He ruffled the wild hair atop the boy's hair affectionately. "Let's go home."  
  
For the remainder of the night, Goku slept soundly. It seemed that his nightmares were long gone. When morning dawned, he was already up and exploring the small home.  
  
The human artifacts didn't fail to fascinate the boy. There hadn't been anything like them where he'd lived before. People consumed food by first searing the flesh it and then serving the meal on hard, round discs. To eat, you had to use thin sticks of wood.  
  
Washing was also done a very different way. No longer did he splash around in the nearest cold stream; his baths were now heated. A strange liquid was also used to create delicate bubbles that popped when poked by a finger.  
  
Goku examined every nook and cranny of the house at least twice over before coming, once again, to rest on his mattress. Gohan was just starting to wake and he watched him quietly in the early morning light.  
  
So, they were to go someplace today. What did a "town" look like, exactly? What was its purpose? Was it a place for "things", a place where they were stored and looked upon by curious small children? Or did it have a greater meaning?  
  
After breakfast, Gohan dressed his grandson in a clean shirt much to the annoyance of the boy. He promised that, once inside the town, he would purchase him clothing that he approved of.  
  
Wide-brimmed straw hat perched upon his head, and bo staff firmly secured to his person, Gohan and Goku started off down a old path that led away from Meimori. The town was ten miles away and it would approximately take them two-and-a-half hours to walk there.  
  
When Goku began mimicking the humming that he did underneath his breath, Gohan came up with an idea for a game they could play that didn't require speech. He would do something, such as whistle, and the boy would, almost immediately, attempt to copy him. At first, Goku didn't understand what to do when his turn came, until he reached up to scratch his nose and saw Gohan do the same exact thing that is. The hours went by quickly with each trying to do their best to stump the other. Goku won when he succeeded in touching his tongue to his nose.  
  
Heiwa was nothing more than one main street and a few shops. The total citizen population was about eight hundred and most were fourth or fifth generation. A few people were out and about early that morning, most pausing to stare at the strange child who followed behind the familiar form of Son Gohan. Goku was blissfully unaware of this as he took in the new sights, sounds, and smells that the town had to offer.  
  
"This is a clothing store," Gohan said as he pointed to the sign above the entrance. Goku's nose wrinkled at the dreaded "C" word and he slowly began to back away. The mere thought of even more cloth confinement, no matter how colorful or aesthetically pleasing it may be, filled the boy with aversion. He loved the way the elements felt against his naked body and the way the earth felt between his toes. To take all of that away from him... was like taking away a part of himself.  
  
But his grandfather wanted him to wear clothing -- and many people did on a regular basis -- so maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought.  
  
The interior of the shop was cool and filled with gentle music. Only about two people were browsing among the racks and there was a young woman behind a counter in the back. She smiled warmly at Gohan but, when she spotted the boy beside him, it grew even wider.  
  
"Oooh!" she cooed as she rushed over. "You're such a cute little boy! What's your name?"  
  
"It's Goku," his grandfather answered for him. "I found him outside my house yesterday and decided to adopt him."  
  
The girl ran her fingers through his spiked hair. "He's adorable, Son-san. How old is he?"  
  
"I'm guessing around nana or hachi[1]," he said as he examined the overwhelmed boy. "Hai, that's about right."  
  
Goku tugged on Gohan's pants leg with a pleading look. "Jiisan...."  
  
"Okay, Little One." He turned towards the girl. "I need clothes for him, something loose and comfortable."  
  
She led them to a rack of children's clothes and quickly guaged his size. "I think I have the perfect thing for him..." Pushing several items aside, she pulled out a navy blue sailor suit. "Perfect for a little boy."  
  
Goku's eyes grew wide and he turned his head away. Gohan chuckled. "I don't think he likes that very much. How about you pick something for yourself?" He gently pushed him towards the rack.  
  
Majority of the clothing was pushed aside, especially those that involved short pants or bright, eye-searing colors. Then, just as he was about to abandon his search, he saw it. Between a pale yellow shirt and a pair of lime green pants, there was a light blue gi with a white sash. Goku removed it from the rack and examined it carefully. It looked to be something that he could get along with, but looks were deceiving at times.  
  
"Would you like to try it on?" the girl asked. "The dressing rooms are over there, honey."  
  
A few minutes later, a completely different boy emerged. No longer was there a frown on his face, he seemed quite pleased with his choice. He grinned and patted the gi approvingly.  
  
"Great!" Gohan enthused as he led his grandson another part of the store. "Now, we need to find you a pair of shoes."  
  
Shoes. Now that was a word he'd never heard before. Although he had no idea what they looked like (or even what they were for), Goku got the impression that they were similar to clothing... and that he would like them even less.  
  
His hunch was absolutely correct. The first couple pairs of shoes pinched his toes something awful until Gohan found the right size. They were made of a soft fabric and were as dark as the night sky. At first, he was deeply set against wearing them, but then his grandfather whispered that he could go without when at home. So, Goku would only have to endure their torment for only a few hours that day.  
  
Next, they made a trip to the grocer. Gohan grew or caught most of his food right at home, but things like rice, spices, and condiments he had to purchase. With a promise that he wouldn't be long, he allowed Goku to remain outside so that he could look around.  
  
"What's your name?" a small voice asked from his right. Goku looked around and then down at a curious little girl in a red dress.  
  
"Name" was a word that he immediately recognized. "Goku," he said, confident that he was correct. It was what his grandfather called him, after all.  
  
She smiled up at him. "I'm Asako. You're with Son-san? I didn't know he had a grandson."  
  
Her words went in one ear and out the other, but her voice was nice to listen to. Asako chattered on about her mean older brother, her new bicycle, and her kitten, Mittens, before a stern-faced woman marched over and grabbed her by the hand.  
  
"How many times have I told you about talking to strangers?" she asked as she pulled the child away. "It's bad enough that weird little boy is in town. You don't have to talk to him!"  
  
"Okaasan," Asako protested, "he's not a stranger. He's Goku!"  
  
"I don't care what his name is, you don't talk to him. In fact, don't even *look* at him. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
She sighed. "Hai, Okaasan." Her mother nodded in approval and Asako cast a sad look in Goku's direction. The little girl hated to leave him all alone, but her mother demanded that it be done.  
  
Goku sat on the dry, dusty ground and watched Asako be dragged away. He'd really gotten to like her in the short time they spent together and did not understand why she had to leave. He *did* know, however, that her mother made him very uncomfortable.  
  
His grandfather came out of the store several minutes later and found the sad little boy drawing pictures in the dirt with a short stick. Goku looked up as he heard the bell above the grocer's door and Gohan could see the unshed tears glittering in his eyes.  
  
"Little One, what's wrong?" he crouched beside him in concern. "Are you hurt?"  
  
The gentle voice, that was meant to soothe, caused Goku to burst into tears. Gohan wished, not for the first time, that the little boy was able to say more words. Then he could find out exactly what was wrong. He wiped away the wetness on his cheeks with his handkerchief, all the while looking forward to the day when Goku's vocabulary was at the same level as the other school age children.  
  
After making one more stop at the plant shop for a small bag of turnip seeds, Gohan made a stop by the house of an old friend. It sat about half-a-mile away from the center of town, surrounded by ornamental cherry trees. There was even a small pond in the back yard that attracted a large variety of water fowl.  
  
"He's the current shicyou of Heiwa," Gohan explained as he knocked on the front door. "I met him when we were boys."  
  
A servant answered the door with a shy smile. "Ohayo, sir," she bowed. "May I help you?"  
  
"My grandson and I are here to see Seion-sama. Is he available?"  
  
"Who, may I ask, is calling?"  
  
"Just let him know that Gohan's here to see him."  
  
The young woman asked them to wait in the entrance hall as she went to inform the shicyou[2] that he had guests.  
  
A small face peeked from around a doorway and grinned at the surprised boy. "Konnichi-wa, Goku-kun!" Asako stepped out and bowed politely to Gohan. "Konnichi-wa, Son-san."  
  
"You've grown a lot since the last time I saw you, Asako-chan." He opened his arms. "Come give me a hug."  
  
"It's really nice to see you," she told him. "Okaasan scolded me for speaking to Goku-kun before. He looked so sad when she made me leave. She won't do it while you're here."  
  
Gohan sighed. "So that's why he looked so miserable. I wonder why Midori felt the need to separate you two."  
  
"Who knows what goes on in my wife's head sometimes," Isei said as he descended the staircase. "Welcome, my friend. It's been months since I've last seen you."  
  
"I've been infrequent in my shopping trips because old age is playing havoc on my system." He dropped his hand to Goku's head. "I have this little one, now. You should hear from me more often."  
  
The shicyou frowned as he examined the boy. "He looks human. I would even go as far as to say that he was. But then I see the tail and everything changes."  
  
"I think his tail is cute, Papa," Asako said. Then to Goku: "Can I touch it?"  
  
As she reached for his tail, Goku pulled it out of her reach with a panicked expression. It was obviously a very bad idea.  
  
"He's quite protective of it, sweetheart," Gohan explained. "Tails are pretty delicate, I suppose." He pushed himself to his feet and followed Isei to his study. "You two play for a little while until we finish. I won't be long, Goku."  
  
The kids did, indeed, play the entire time. Asako taught Goku how to play hide-and-seek, hopscotch, and jacks. Both were out of breath from a rather involved game of tag when Midori marched toward them.  
  
"Seion Asako!" she shouted as she strode towards them. "What did I tell you before?"  
  
The little girl stared unwaveringly in her mother's eyes. "He's Son-san's grandson and papa gave us permission to play together."  
  
"I'll just have to speak with your father, then," she huffed. "Lunch his ready." Then she turned and walked stiffly away.  
  
Asako helped Goku to his feet. "I'm sorry. She doesn't like you because you're different. C'mon, let's go eat."  
  
Lunch was a very formal affair. Along the large table, that could easily hold twenty, sat only six people. Domestics were at Midori's every beck and call even after they'd served the meal. The woman ate little and talked much.  
  
"Namiyo's husband imported a mink coat for her from Europe," she said with obvious jealousy. "When winter comes, she'll be the best dressed wife in the entire town."  
  
"Midori, darling, the mink is an endangered species on that continent. I dislike the fact that an innocent animals have to die to make you high quality outerwear."  
  
Kenji, the eldest child, nodded in agreement. "He's quite right, Okaasan. Synthetic materials are much better."  
  
She frowned at the teen. "I didn't ask you."  
  
The rest of the meal was finished in silence, with only a few small attempts made by Gohan to strike up conversation. Midori disappeared immediately after emptying her plate, no doubt off to sulk about her lack of expensive furs. Goku and Asako went back outside to play.  
  
A small black car pulled up to the shicyou's house about twenty minutes later. Goku watched a man dressed in black leather get out of the vehicle come over to where the two of them were sitting.  
  
"Excuse me, little girl," he said to Asako. "I seem to be lost. Can you show me the way to city hall?"  
  
Asako eyed him cautiously. He fit the description of "stranger" perfectly. So, as per her mother's instructions, she didn't speak to him.  
  
The man grunted in annoyance. "I do think that you should show me, little girl." She got up to move away from him and he grabbed her arm. "It's for your own good."  
  
Before she could cry out, he covered her mouth with his hand. Goku jumped to his feet and started towards the two of them, but froze when the stranger placed a knife against Asako's neck. "You come towards me and she's history."  
  
Tears glittered in Asako's eyes as the man carried her to his car and tossed her in the backseat. Goku could only watch helplessly as the kidnapper left with his friend. As soon as he was sure that the occupants of the car couldn't spot him, the boy ran down the road after them.  
  


***

  
"Is this Seion-sama?" asked a gruff voice.  
  
Isei's bushy eyebrows rose. "Hai. Who, may I ask, is calling?"  
  
"We are the Anei Samurai. Currently we are at your bank, preparing to rob it."  
  
"N-nani?" he asked, completely shocked.  
  
"Your daughter is here as well. She's such a pretty little girl."  
  
The shicyou felt his blood run cold. "You have Asako? What do you want from me? What are your demands?"  
  
"So many questions!" The man laughed chillingly. "The only thing we wish for you to do is allow us to rob your bank and give us safe passage out of town. Failure to do so will result in you having one less child to worry about. Do we have an understanding?"  
  
"Hai, hai we do."  
  
"Good." The man hung up and Isei wrung his hands.  
  
"It's horrible, Gohan." He was nearly overwhelmed with grief. "Some group called the Anei Samurai have my little Asako. I'll gladly do what they ask so that she's safe, but there is no guarantee that they haven't already harmed her."  
  
Gohan pursed his lips as a vague plan formed in his mind. "First, we need to get down to the bank and assess the situation. Then we will save your daughter."  
  


***

  
The black car stopped at a large building where another was waiting. Asako was dragged into the marble-faced bank and Goku went around to the side and peeked into one of the large windows.  
  
Two men, one short and one tall, stood guard over a small group of customers who'd been in the bank when the criminals took over. The tellers behind were filling bags with money from the vaults and the manager was attempting to plead with the leader of the gang. The large man casually whipped his gun across his face, knocking the terrified man to the floor. The hostages gasped and some began to whimper.  
  
"Quiet!" he hissed as he paced back-and-forth. The robbery was taking far too long to complete and he was becoming impatient. The leader stopped mid-step and glared in the direction of the tellers. "If you're wasting my time on purpose..."  
  
He received numerous negative responses. Satisfied, the man continued to pace silently.  
  
A police car pulled up outside and many other officers arrived from the station by foot. The majority of them surrounded the main entrance while the rest split up to cover the side and the back.  
  
The chief raised a megaphone to his mouth. "What are you demands?"  
  
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the main doors opened and the leader came out with a squirming Asako in his arms. "You mean he didn't tell you? I have the dear shicyou's daughter. If you do not allow us, the Anei Samurai, to escape town with all of your money, the girl dies."  
  
Twin sets of running footsteps approached the small group of policemen. The Seion pushed his way to the front, but stopped six feet away from the leader when the man placed a knife to his daughter's throat. His body trembled in fear for Asako and he struggled to remain outwardly calm. "Why are you doing this in the first place? What do you need the money for?"  
  
"That," he smiled viciously at him, "is none of your concern. Call off your cops, shicyou, and your daughter will be fine." He retreated inside of the building and shut the door behind him.  
  
Isei began to pace. "What am I going to do, Gohan? I'll go anything to get Asako back safely, but how do I accomplish this? That man doesn't look like a person who'd keep his word."  
  
"Stay here and keep him talking. I'm going to go around to the back and save her."  
  
"Good luck, Gohan," he said quietly as he watched him move away. Then he gathered up the tattered shreds of his composure and issued orders.  
  


***

  
Gohan was almost on top of him before he noticed Goku crouching in the shadows between the bank and the next building. Gently, so not to startle the boy, he tapped his shoulder. "Little One, did you follow Asako? It's very dangerous for you to be here."  
  
"Asako," Goku said while motioning towards the building. He took his index finger and pressed it to his jugular vein to show that she was held at knife point.  
  
"Hai, son. The bad man threatened her life. I'm going to rescue her, but first I need you to find Isei and stay with him." He saw the blank look on the boy's face and sighed. He'd forgotten that Goku couldn't understand most of what he said.  
  
Before he could attempt again to communicate his instructions again, they both heard the sound of gunfire and then a high-pitched scream. Goku did not hesitate. Taking a few steps backward, he broke into a brisk run and threw himself at the window.  
  
"Goku! Iie!" Gohan shouted, but he was not heard. Glass shattered in an explosion of sound, the shards flying inward to land at the feet of the stunned hostages. The boy quickly looked around in search of his friend and found her lying motionless on the ground. He recognized all-too-well the immobility of death. It had laid icy fingertips upon a few of the elders of his pack.  
  
He did not remember crossing the room, nor did he remember punching the burly man in the abdomen. It was all a blur up to the point when the leader raised the gun and pulled the trigger. Goku felt the bullet impact with the flesh of his chest and his hands immediately felt for the wound, for the blood. There wasn't anything to be found.  
  
The leader gaped in shock that only lasted an instant. He, again, raised the weapon, but before his finger could move, Goku was on him. Gun knocked away, the boy attacked him with surprising a ferocity and strength that reminded them all of a cornered wild animal. It was only when Asako moaned and moved slightly that he ceased his offensive.  
  
She wasn't dead after all. Goku stared in wonder as she slowly sat up and blinked in confusion. Everything seemed to fall silent and move in slow motion as her eyes caught his. Asako smiled and he returned the gesture.  
  
"Police! Hands in the air!" Moment broken by the commanding shouts of the Heiwan Police Force, Goku looked at the window where he'd left his grandfather a minute before. The old man still stood on the other side of the wall, but there was a stunned expression on his face. The boy felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. Would Gohan reject him now that he'd hurt another living being?  
  
"You're quite a special little boy," Gohan said with a proud smile as he carefully stepped over the low windowsill. "Imagine saving the day all by yourself!"  
  
Goku smiled as well when he felt the positive feelings coming from his grandfather. It seemed that the man was far from being upset. Well, Asako was safe and the criminals apprehended. That was the point of the mission, wasn't it?  
  
Isei rushed in and ran straight to his daughter. "I'm so glad that you're safe." Eyes wet with unshed tears, he gazed at his friend. "Domo arigatou, Gohan. I can never repay you for what you've done."  
  
"Well, I appreciate your gratitude, but I had almost nothing to do with Asako's rescue."  
  
The shicyou blinked. "Nani?"  
  
"It was little Goku here," Gohan said with pride. "He went in and kept the head bad guy down long enough for the police to arrest him." The followers had stood frozen in fear and awe of the little boy. They offered no resistance as the cops handcuffed them.  
  
It was obvious that Isei was a wee bit skeptical. "It's true, Papa!" Asako said. "After I woke up, I saw Goku show that man who was boss!"  
  
"Alright, then," Isei said as he crouched down in front of the boy. "Heroism should be rewarded. Name anything you want and it shall be yours."  
  
When he failed to speak, Gohan answered for him with a sparkle in his eye. "I know of something that the little one would just love to have..."  
  


***

  
"It's as if he has a black hole inside of him!" Isei said in an awed voice. He and Asako watched Goku devour eight full meals and ten dessert dishes before settling back into his chair with a loud burp and a small, contented sigh.  
  
"It *is* something, isn't it?" Gohan wiped his mouth and dropped the napkin onto his plate. "Food is his one true love."  
  
The owner of the restaurant, who'd been hovering around their table ever since the waiters brought the third meal, wrung his hands. "Please don't tell me that the boy is still hungry. We don't have anything left for the other customers!"  
  
Goku's answer was to yawn sleepily and pat his stomach. "I think he's satisfied for now, sir." Gohan told him. "Arigatou anyway."  
  
They sat and chatted for a little while longer -- or rather Gohan and Isei chatted and the kids listened -- until the stars made their twinkling appearance in the night sky.


	2. Chapter 2

_The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found_  
Chapter 2

 _Four years later..._  
  
He'd been gone for nearly a month, leaving him all alone in a large, uncaring world. It was still mystery how he died and nothing Goku did brought the memory to light. He must have been there -- the boy didn't leave his grandfather's property often --, but Goku could not remember a thing.  
  
  
 _The boy ran to Heiwa that morning, Gohan's body in his arms. He'd always been strong and his grandfather's training had only made him even more so. Doctor Taniguchi took one look at the limp man in his arms and rushed him inside to the examination room.  
  
"Is he... Will he be okay?" Goku asked anxiously as the doctor checked his grandfather over.  
  
Taniguchi sighed and pulled out his notepad. Time of death: 6:25 a.m. He didn't want to break the twelve-year-old's heart, but there was no other choice. Son Gohan was gone.  
  
"He had several broken bones, many of them major. A rib punctured his lung about three hours before you found him." The doctor placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "There was nothing you could have done."  
  
His lips trembled as he spoke words that would make everything real. "Jiisan's dead."  
  
"I'm afraid so."  
  
"Iie!" Goku shook Gohan's cold body frantically. "Wake up! Onegai, wake up!"  
  
Taniguchi pulled him away gently. He'd seen many a family member fall apart at the death of a loved one and it never became any easier to witness. "Shh, Goku. It'll be okay. Do you have anyone to stay with?"  
  
"S-seion-sama," he murmured softly. "Jiisan wrote it in his will. It's like he knew that he was going to..." His throat constricted and he was unable to continue. Goku exhaled deeply. "Why didn't he warn me about this if he knew that it was gonna happen?"  
  
"I don't think he did, son. It was probably just a standard precaution. Seion-sama will take good care of you."_  
  
  
A standard precaution. Right. There was something off about the entire thing. No, he didn't think that someone murdered his grandfather, but it wasn't a mere accident. Goku thought about this for a full week, going over it again and again inside of his head. He had no explanation for Gohan's death and felt that he never would.  
  
Then, on the one-month anniversary of his grandfather's death, he found himself staring outside at the night sky. It was unusually bright and the forest below could clearly be seen from his upstairs bedroom window. The Seion family had graciously given him his own room and all the love he could ever want. Even Midori had warmed up to him after a while. He was eternally grateful to them.  
  
"That must be the moon," Goku said in awe as he stared at the glowing orb. "I've never seen it outside of a book before." Usually he was asleep long before it made its appearance in the sky.  
  
Suddenly his heartbeat felt thunderously loud in his ears and he could not turn his gaze away from the moon outside. He struggled with himself, trying to regain control. "W-what's happening to me?"  
  
He vaguely remembered looking at the moon that night thirty days before. Everything was fuzzy beyond that point, but now he could feel the changes happen within his body. His tail stood straight out behind him like a bottlebrush and his pupils dilated as his body shifted and grew. Sensing that something monumental was happening, he jumped from the balcony and onto the ground below.  
  
With a mighty roar, Goku turned his head to the sky. There was an almost uncontrollable urge to go on a rampage of death and destruction, but a growing sense of horror swallowed it whole. He could remember it all, every single thing that happened that day. The memories both sickened and shamed him. How could he enjoy killing innocent people? What had he become?  
  
  
 _"GOKU!" Gohan shouted as he ran outside into the yard. "Come back!!"  
  
It was happening again. His grandson had transformed at the sight of the full moon and was currently uprooting every tree he came across. Gohan had always known that something was very different -- or very special -- about the boy. First he had survived years in a forest and, if that wasn't enough proof, Goku had a furry monkey-like tail.  
  
Before, it had been late enough in the night that the sun had begun to rise soon after the transformation. His little weremonkey had shrunk back down into his normal ten-year-old form and everything had been okay.  
  
But now, there was no chance of that happening; it was only eleven p.m. after all. A lot of damage could be done in nearly eight hours' time.  
  
"What in the world can I do? Destroying the moon seems like the best solution, but it's too far away..." He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice that Goku was gone until he was almost out of sight. "For such a large creature, he sure moves quietly."  
  
He chased after his grandson for hours in an attempt to bring him back to himself, but nothing he did or said halted him. Desperate, Gohan ran up to the weremonkey and stood just a few inches from one furry paw.  
  
"Stop this right now!" he demanded as he rapped on the monkey's body with his knuckles. "I've raised you better than this, Goku!"  
  
He looked down at the tiny figure curiously for a moment before raising one gigantic foot. Gohan's eyes widened in disbelief and he just barely rolled out of the way before it came down with a sharp movement that caused the earth to tremble. Sensing that nothing he could say or do would stop his grandson, he spun around and ran in the opposite direction. Oozaru Goku, upset that his plaything was escaping, took off after him._  
  
  
What came next made his heart fill with sorrow. "I killed him!" Goku screamed at the sky. He collapsed to his knees and pounded the ground with his fists. "I killed my jiisan," he whispered. "It's all my fault."  
  
Lights snapped on in several rooms. One window was pushed upward and Asako leaned out, her eyes curiously taking in the giant ape-like creature in her backyard. "Um, what are you?" she asked, not really afraid.  
  
"Asako, don't you know me?" Goku raised tear-filled eyes to her face.  
  
Her eyes widened in shock and she leaned over the sill so far that she nearly lost her balance. "Is that you, Goku?! Wow! What happened?"  
  
Slowly moved so that he was kneeling and peered closely at the glowing sphere in the sky. "I think it's the moon. This happened to me before." His throat constricted at the thought. "That night...."  
  
At first she was confused, but then it dawned on her. "This is the anniversary of Gohan-san's death, isn't it?"  
  
Goku nodded and said sadly, "Hai."  
  
"You didn't....?!"  
  
As she trailed off into silence, the patio doors swung open and an angry Midori marched out. "Uh, oh," Goku muttered beneath his breath. She heard him perfectly.  
  
"You change back to normal right now!" The woman demanded. "What would the neighbors think?" Gasping, she asked, "What would the president of the historical society think?" That was a club she'd been trying to join for quite some time. However, the women who belonged to it were even snobbier than she was.  
  
"If I could, Midori-san, I would!" Goku's voice rose with frustration, the sound sending previously sleeping birds from the trees and small animals scurrying for safety. "I think I always change back when the sun rises." ' _But why do I have control over myself *now*?_ ' And why couldn't he have gained control *before*, when his jiisan had still been alive? The two previous times he remembered vaguely that it was like he'd been trapped inside his own head. When he shifted back to his normal form, he'd forgotten everything. Maybe his mind had been protecting him.  
  
Sighing, he turned his back to her and looked up at the sky. "Gomen nasai, Jiisan. I never wanted to hurt you."  
  
Isei patted one large leg in a comforting manner. "I'm sure he knows that you had no control over your actions. Bad things happen sometimes, but you mustn't let it defeat you. Good night, Goku. See you in the morning at breakfast." The angry woman only glared at him and went back into the house.  
  
"G'night." Despite his foster father's words, he continued to brood.  
  
Asako didn't want to leave the boy alone, especially not when he was feeling depressed. "Papa, can I-?"  
  
"Hai, Asako-chan. Just be sure that you're in the house before your mother wakes." He smiled when she disappeared from the window and had a feeling that her presence would make a world of difference.  
  
The ten-year-old girl quietly shut the sliding glass door and settled down next to her brother. "I don't think we have a blanket big enough. Will you be okay?"  
  
He nodded with a something that resembled a smile. "Oh, sure. Fur's pretty warm. My tail never gets cold in the winter. Gomen for staying with me."  
  
"No problem. You're my big brother, you know? I have to make sure that you're okay." Asako settled back against his chest and yawned. "Best pillow I've ever had," she said before closing her eyes.  
  
Goku watched her sleep for a few moments before turning his face, once again, to the heavens.  
  


***

  
There was a knock on his bedroom door just before lunch. He'd been normal when he woke that morning and was covered with Asako's bunny-printed blanket. Underneath he was completely naked. The thought of his little sister seeing him that way made him blush slightly, but he imagined that it must have been hundreds of times worse for Asako. He wasn't ashamed of his body, but he doubted that she'd ever seen a boy nude before that moment.  
  
After a breakfast he didn't each very much of (which prompted the cook to place her hand onto his forehead to check his temperature), he went directly to his room. He desperately wanted to correct his mistake, but had no idea if it was even possible.  
  
He laid down for twenty minutes before rising and going over the bookcase to remove his favorite keepsake from the middle shelf. It was his Jiisan's favorite knickknack, a shiny orange sphere that bore four red stars upon its surface. "Come in," he called as he gazed down at it.  
  
"Otousan sent me to tell you that lunch was ready. Asako's helping Okaasan in the kitchen." It was Kenji, the last person he expected to be at the door. The young man looked curiously at the item in his brother's hand, his jaw dropping when he recognized it. "Where did you get that dragonball?!"  
  
Goku looked up blankly. "Dragon *what*?"  
  
Kenji moved closer, eager to get a better look at an artifact he'd only considered legend. "Dragonball. It's a magical item. Ah, you have the four-star ball."  
  
"Hai. It was Jiisan's. He said he found it years ago."  
  
"You have one! Do you know what this means?" It was pretty obvious that the boy didn't, so he went on to explain. "There are seven of them total and it's said that, once you collect them all, you can have one wish."  
  
Considering the possibilities, his dark eyes lit up for the first time since before that fateful night one month ago. "Can it be for anything I want?"  
  
"Nearly anything. As long as it's within Shenron's power."  
  
"Then I want to wish that Jiisan is brought back to life." By reviving the elder man, he felt that he was setting things right. "How do I find the other six dragonballs?"  
  
Kenji sighed. "Goku, I don't think that you can. They're spread throughout the world and it would take the rest of your entire life to search every single place. I was a little too excited before, it's my fault for getting your hopes up."  
  
With absolute determination, he said, "I'm going to find the other six and bring Jiisan back. I don't care how long it takes." Goku went over to his closet and rummaged around for a knapsack. "Can you do me a favor and pack some food?"  
  
"You're just a little boy!" he protested. "It's not safe for you to be running around looking for star-covered spheres that are nearly impossible to find!"  
  
Goku stopped packing and stared at him. "Do you know how it feels to kill someone that you love? Well, I do. It's the worst thing in the entire world. I need to bring him back, Kenji, no matter how hard it's gonna be."  
  
For a long moment the two of them silently regarded each other until Kenji headed for the door. "I'll prepare your food."  
  
"Domo arigatou, Kenji. This means a lot to me."  
  
He smiled weakly. "Just come back in one piece, alright? That's all I ask."  
  
The boy nodded and returned to packing all his important things.  
  


***

  
"By now Asako should have found the note," he said to himself. "Will she be mad at me? I hope Kenji can explain better than I could." Goku stuffed the last bit of his rice cracker into his mouth. He sat upon the stump of a large tree, legs swinging back and forth idly as he finished his dinner. Four hours he'd walked through the forest on the opposite side of Heiwa, not quite sure of where to go. The dragonball came without a map or instructions of any kind, it was if Shenron didn't want to be summoned. "Nothing will stand in my way," he vowed as he stuffed his things back into the knapsack.  
  
Humming to himself, he started off down the small, worn road with a bounce in his step. He would get to see his jiisan again! Not today, or even tomorrow, but someday.  
  
Just as the sun was starting to set, he heard a rumbling in the distance. It didn't sound like thunder, but he had no idea what else it could be. Dropping to his stomach, he pressed an ear to the ground. "Hmm..." The noise became louder and louder until it was very close. Then, just as quickly as it was behind, it was ahead. Goku stared at the motorbike and then quickly gathered enough wits to flag it down.  
  
"Hey!" he shouted as he ran after the vehicle and its rider. "I need to ask you a question!"  
  
Not hearing a word he said, the driver continued on down the road. Goku sped up and kept pace. "Excuse me!"  
  
The person looked over and made a sound of surprise. They abruptly braked to a stop. "What are you doing?" the rider asked as the helmet was removed. She shook out her turquoise colored hair and raised an eyebrow. "How in the world did you keep up with me?"  
  
"I'm fast," he said proudly. "Can you tell me how far the nearest town is?"  
  
"If you're walking it will probably take more than a day. C'mon, kid, I'll give you a ride."  
  
He grinned. "Honto? Arigatou! My name's Goku, what's yours?"  
  
"It's Buruma, Buruma Briefs. Maybe you've heard of my otousan, Dr. Briefs. He's famous. Hang on tight, I go pretty fast."  
  
"Nope, I haven't ever heard of him. Gomen." He grabbed her around the waist in a grip that nearly cut off her circulation.  
  
"Um, Goku? Could you ease up just a tiny little bit?"  
  
He quickly loosed his arms. "Oops, sorry about that." Buruma revved the engine and they were off.  
  


***

  
The teen braked to a stop beside a store. "Do you have someplace to stay? A kid shouldn't be out and about alone. Especially at night."  
  
"Hey, I'm twelve!" he said defensively. "You don't look that much older than I am."  
  
She smirked at him. "Well, I'm sixteen and that's practically an adult!" Buruma dropped the kickstand placed her hand onto his shoulder. "Look, Goku, you can stay with me for a while. I'm on a quest so we're probably gonna travel to places you've never even heard of before."  
  
He nodded seriously, feeling a kinship with the girl. "I'm on one, too."  
  
The main street of the town was little more than a few wooden huts with a narrow dirt road running between them. Very few people were around which was unusual since it was still pretty early in the evening. The tiny hairs on the back of Goku's neck lifted every time one of the villagers peeked out at him from a window or examined him as they passed by in the street.  
  
"I don't like this place very much," the boy whispered to Buruma. "Something's not right."  
  
"Come on, kid! I don't see anything wrong with- AH!" The girl jumped and shrieked in surprise. In front of her was a pale, terrified face of a young woman pressed against the window of a neighboring shop. Backing away quickly, she opened the door to the grocery store and quickly went inside. Goku wasn't very far behind.  
  
She glared at his grinning face. "If you say 'I told you so' I'm going to hit you."  
  
"Good evening, young ones," the elderly owner of the shop greeted. "You appear to be visitors to our humble town. Might I suggest that you leave as fast as you can before the sun sets?"  
  
Goku stared curiously at him. "What happens after the sun sets?"  
  
"Awful things. Frightening things." He stared past them and out of the window behind. "Evil things."  
  
The sun sank fully below the horizon and darkness washed across the village. For a moment not a sound was heard from anyone inside or out, but then a low moaning swept across the area. It was similar to that of the wind, but soon took on several different mournful tones. Shivers ran up and down Buruma's spine and she found herself taking steps away from the door.  
  
"What on Chikyuu is that?" she asked in a slightly trembling voice.  
  
The shopkeeper flipped over the sign to closed and locked the door. "Why you should have never come. Follow me and I will explain."  
  
Behind the counter was a doorway that lead to the living area above the shop. The entire upstairs only consisted of a bedroom, a sitting room, and a tiny bath. He turned on the light in the sitting room and gestured for them to have a seat. "I am Shinpi, the proprietor of this grocery. Things have not been right in the village for nearly a week. No one knows the reason behind the sudden appearance of these restless spirits, but every night they surround us with their wailing. The people cannot sleep and spend the daylight hours in fear of the approaching night."  
  
"Has anyone tried to stop the ghosts?" Buruma asked. If she had to spend every single night listening to them, it would probably drive her insane.  
  
"No one dares venture outside. The chief's oniisan went to question them on the second day they appeared. He has yet to return." Shinpi clasped his hands behind his back and gazed out of the window. Five misty, semi-transparent beings floated above the ground of the village square down the street. Three were adults, two females and one male, and two were young boys. They moved slowly in a tight circle around a stone well that sat in the center.  
  
Goku moved to stand beside him. "I want to talk to them." Both Buruma and Shinpi stared at him in surprise. "Maybe I can get them to go away."  
  
"Are you nuts?!" Buruma asked. "Iie, wait a minute. Of course you are." She drew him off to the side. "Goku, haven't you been listening to Shinpi? The last person who tried to talk to them went missing. Do you want to end up like that... or worse?"  
  
He remained resolute. "Ghosts don't hang around for no reason and they sound pretty sad."  
  
"Alright, Goku." Shinpi said reluctantly after a moment of thought. He didn't want anything to happen to the young boy, but he felt as if he would be driven to kill himself if he had to listen to the awful wailing of the ghosts for much longer. "If you insist. Your friend and I will wait for you downstairs. If you need any help, scream as loud as you can. We'll come running."  
  
They saw Goku off and he went down the street, marveling at how the village seemed completely deserted. Doors were shut and locked tight and the only sound he could hear was the wailing of the ghosts. Then, the curtains rustled slightly in a few windows and curious faces peeked around them. He waved to several people and received hesitant greetings in return.  
  
The ghosts turned to regard him as he approached. "Hi," he said with a smile. "What's wrong?" Nothing was said, but two of the figures, one man and one woman, parted and created a gap in the circle. The boy stepped forward and looked around. "Is something here?" Then he leaned over the lip of the well and peered down into the darkness. Unable to see more than a foot inside, he leaned a little further and lost his balance. Goku could have sworn that someone pushed him over the edge but figured that it was only his imagination by the time he landed on the dry bottom.  
  
He ran his hand through the sand. "This well's been dry for a while."  
  
Not liking the fact that he was nearly blind, Goku felt around gingerly. The stone walls were cool to the touch and contained no cracks within his reach large enough for him to wedge his fingers into. "Oh, great. Buruma's never gonna let me live this down."  
  
Goku looked up and saw the faces of the five ghosts looking down at him. The older woman pointed with her finger to a spot beside him. The other four were quick to do the same thing. Sensing that there was more going on than a simple haunting, the boy started to dig in the spot with his fingers...  
  
...and got the shock of his life when he brushed the grains away from what felt like a bone. A rather large bone. A rather large *human* bone. A longer period of digging uncovered a complete human skeleton.  
  
After his heart beat returned to normal, he looked up into the faces of the ghosts. "Was this someone you knew?" The wailing grew louder in response. "It was. How did they get a body down here to bury it?"  
  
"Goku!" he heard Buruma call. "Are you okay?" She had braved her way past the ghosts and peeked over the edge of the well at him. "I can't even see you!"  
  
"Can you get a rope and toss it down? I'm stuck down here!"  
  
The girl disappeared for a moment and then returned with a long rope. She tied it around her waist in a knot to keep it from slipping and then grabbed it between her hands. "Grab on and climb up." She figured that he couldn't weigh very much.  
  
When Goku began his ascent, she found herself being pulled very slowly back towards the well. Buruma dug the heels of her tennis shoes deeply into the dry soil and tried to remain in one spot. When it didn't work, she called for the shopkeeper.  
  
"Shinpi!"  
  
The older man hurried over to help her and, together, they kept the rope still enough for Goku to make it out of the well. "What did you find?" he asked the boy.  
  
Goku looked sadly at the strangely quiet ghosts huddled in a group on the opposite side of the well. "The reason why they haunt your village. What can you tell me about them?"  
  
"Their appearance coincides with the Fire Tragedy. I suspect that these are the ghosts of the family that died within the house." Shinpi led them across the square and down a short road to the charred remains of a once elegant two-story house. "Early last Thursday Katsu-san spotted it as she opened her window to water her flowers. She has daisies in a planter just outside. A little odd watering plants at four in the morning, but eccentric is her middle name." He smiled slightly at Buruma's impatient look. "Anyway, by that time the entire house had been ablaze in brilliant orange flames. She ran to the chief's house to awaken him and soon the emergency bell was ringing. It took them hours to fully put the fire out, thank goodness it wasn't surrounded by other homes."  
  
"No one survived?" Goku asked.  
  
"Iie, no one."  
  
He paced a few steps, turned around and paced several more. "That doesn't make any sense. If everyone died in the fire then whose body is in the well?"  
  
Shinpi blinked. "Come again?"  
  
"The ghosts told me to dig so I did. There are bones buried down there."  
  
"That is why they circle the well," the man said with realization. "Well, that solves *one* mystery. Who kidnapped and murdered Seisha? She disappeared last month," he explained when he saw their confused expressions. "Her father, Shijo, vowed not to rest until the kidnapper was brought to justice. He told me one morning, five days ago, that he was very close to solving the mystery. The next day the house burns to the ground." He once again stared at the naked foundation. "This was no coincidence."  
  
Goku nodded with understanding. "Tomorrow I'm going to look for the one who did this. They have to know."  
  
"I will help all that I can."  
  


***

  
The following day came sooner than Buruma expected. She winced as the bright, cheery light of the sun hit her eyes and threw an arm over them for protection. Slowly her ears started to pick up the slight sound of china clinking together and low murmuring.  
  
"What time is it?" she muttered to herself as she opened her eyes. The watch read 8:15 a.m. "Too early for me."  
  
A question captured her attention just as she was, once again, on the verge of slumber. "Who do I start with?"  
  
"The chief, for sure. He has extensive knowledge of this village and all of its citizens. His house is at the end of the street, you can't miss it."  
  
"Arigatou."  
  
While the chief was usually knowledgeable about his village, in this case he was not. The small, wrinkled man never turned away from the small plot of soil he was digging in, but Goku could imagine the blank stare on his face. "I know nothing that could be of use to you. Personally, I am happy that he is gone. My itouto could be very irritating at times."  
  
"But he just disappeared one day!" the boy protested. "Weren't you worried at all?"  
  
"We didn't get along," was all he would say.  
  
Questioning the man was a complete dead end. The next person, however, said something that made Goku think.  
  
Katsu-san, a woman who was just approaching her senior years, was just heading off to visit a sick friend. She wore a floral print dress and a wide-brimmed straw hat that was tied beneath her chin with a pale pink ribbon. "Oh, konnichi-wa," she greeted with a smile. "How are you this fine day?"  
  
Goku smiled and greeted her in return. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
Pausing, she cocked her head to one side. "Hai?"  
  
"Did you see anything weird the night of the fire? Shinpi said that you told everyone about it."  
  
"I was so afraid that morning," she said. "You see, Rina and I were quite good friends. We both belonged to the ladies' club in the village. If only I had known that no one had gotten out of the house...." Katsu-san pressed her lips together firmly and regained her composure. "They have yet to catch the person who did something so horrible."  
  
"Katsu-san, I think that person's the same as the kidnapper. Do you remember anything else?"  
  
"This may not be important, but I thought I saw a little boy playing in the forest near the house from the corner of my eye. When I turned to warn him about the fire, no one was there."  
  
He thanked her for the information and went back to the grocery. His head was filled with questions. Had the woman really seen a child? If so, who was he? Had he seen the arsonist do his tragic work?  
  
Buruma was wide awake and chatting with Shinpi as he did stock. "I met him on the road. It's pretty strange to see a kid wandering around alone. I wonder why he was out there."  
  
"I'm on a mission," he told them both as he shut the door behind him. "My jiisan died last month and--" He looked down at the wooden floor in shame. "--I was the one who killed him."  
  
"What happened?" the shopkeeper asked gently.  
  
Goku's tail began to lash the air in agitation. "Something happens to me when I see the full moon. I change into this huge monkey and I kill." Falling silent for a moment, he remembered the emotions that coursed through his body the last time he'd transformed. First and foremost there was a restless urge to feel the blood of a living thing on his hands and to taste it within his mouth. As if that wasn't bad enough, memories of the animals and people he'd ruthlessly slaughtered in that form ran through his mind. Tears stung his eyes, threatening to fall. "Jiisan tried to make me come back to myself and it didn't work. Then I.... hurt him. He had this round thing that my niichan Kenji said was the 'four-star dragonball'. I want to wish jiisan back to life, but first I have to find the other six."  
  
"You may have done this terrible deed," Shinpi began, "but I truly believe that you are attempting to atone. I wish you luck on your quest, Goku."  
  
Buruma vanished upstairs for a moment and returned with a small pink backpack. "You can have this," she said as she pulled out the two-star dragonball. "I wanted to wish for the perfect boyfriend but, well, your wish is better."  
  
His face lit up with delight. "Are you serious?! Domo arigatou!" Then proceeded to hug her in joy. The teen gasped and struggled in his strong grip.  
  
"Goku... Can't breathe...."  
  
"Oops!"  
  
Shinpi took the dragonball from the teen's hand. "Exquisite," he murmured. "You know, I do believe I've seen something like this before." Two pairs of eyes, one set blue and the other black, locked onto his face with obvious interest. "I'm nearly sure that the chief displays one with two stars on his mantle."  
  
"Maybe he'll give it to us if we ask really nice," Goku said.  
  
Suddenly, Buruma became greatly interested in the village mystery. Surely they would be rewarded somehow after solving it. The moaning, miserable ghosts would be gone, after all. "C'mon, kid. We have a case to solve!"  
  
Goku told her about the boy on the way to the forest. "I think Katsu-san really did see him and he'll know who hurt that family."  
  
Surprisingly enough, there was a small boy was playing in the dark earth with plastic toy dinosaurs. He looked up as they approached for one moment, but was soon returned to his game.  
  
"Hi," Buruma said quietly as she kneeled close to him. "How are you doing today?" When he didn't respond, she tried a different tactic. "What are you playing?"  
  
"It's no use," a voice said softly from behind them. A thin woman with pale blonde hair and green eyes (who was wearing jeans and a tank top) approached and placed her hand on top of the boy's fair head. "He hasn't said a word since last Thursday."  
  
The day made both Goku and Buruma's eyes widened. They whispered in unison, "It's him!"  
  
The young woman gazed at them with a curious expression on her face. "What's wrong? Why are you staring at my son like that?"  
  
Goku smiled gently at the little boy. "Can you tell me who did that to the house over there? You were there, weren't you." Pale green eyes filled with sudden tears and the boy looked up at his face. He looked over at the remains of the house and then back into the older boy's darker eyes.  
  
His small mouth opened and a single word formed without sound. Then he spoke again. "Ryushi," he whispered.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Ryushi did it," he said louder. "He killed my friends."  
  
The woman answered their unasked question. "Ryushi is Uchida-sama's oniisan. He was lost on the first night the ghosts appeared." She looked down at the boy. "Mokugeki, are you positive that he was the one to commit such a horrible sin? It's possible that you may have been seeing things."  
  
He shook his head violently and tears made watery tracks down his cheeks. "He killed them, Mama! Why?"  
  
"I don't know," she told him as she offered comfort, "but he will be punished for his crime soon, sweetheart. Very soon."  
  


***

  
Buruma started to care more about justice than about rewards. It just wasn't right that someone as evil as Ryushi was still walking around as a free man. Something had to be done and it was up to them to do it.  
  
"How?" she asked as they crossed the square mid-afternoon. "How will we do it?"  
  
"I have no idea," the boy sighed. "He's around here somewhere, but where?"  
  
Shinpi, being the wellspring of knowledge that he was, knew of a place where the man sometimes went. If he had, indeed, faked his disappearance then there was a chance he was hiding out there.  
  
It was a small hut by the coast, an out-of-the way place that was nearly hidden by palm trees and large ferns. The two of them crouched in the thick plants after discovering that the place was empty (albeit appearing more than a little lived in) for nearly an hour before he returned with a medium-sized fish.  
  
"He's really here. How do we drag him back to the village?"  
  
"Do you have something better than the motorbike?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Then I'll take care of knocking him out and tying him up."  
  
"You?! C'mon, Goku. Stop joking around."  
  
"I'm not joking! I told you before that I'm not normal; why won't you believe me?"  
  
"Okay, okay. Just don't get hurt or anything."  
  
The boy nodded and dropped down to his belly, pulling himself across the warm sand with his elbows. After carefully checking to see if Ryushi was still oblivious, he waited until the man's back was turned and pulled himself into the hut through the open window. He made nary a sound as he landed on the worn wooden planks that made up the floor. Ryushi failed to notice Goku until it was too late.  
  
"What the-?!"  
  
Then he was down and quickly rendered unconscious. Eyes quickly scanning the room, Goku spotted a coil of thick rope piled beneath a table in the corner and used it to tie up his wrists and ankles tightly until there was no leeway between them. "Too easy."  
  
"I've got to say that you did a professional job," Buruma praised as she admired his handiwork. "Houdini himself wouldn't be able to escape from that."  
  
"Arigatou, Buruma."  
  
The ghosts were in the square by the time they arrived back at the village. The citizens were absolutely fed-up (and driven just about to the brink of insanity). A good number of them stood just outside the square and angrily demanded that the ghosts leave them alone in peace. Buruma stopped the aircar beside the mob and hopped out.  
  
"We know why they come here every night!" she shouted. "They only want closure!"  
  
One woman rolled her eyes. "For what? They're dead, remember? Ghosts are beyond the needs of mortal folk."  
  
"Most of the time ghosts haunt a place because it holds some sort of significance for them," the Buruma explained. "In this case, it's the well."  
  
"Why not the empty lot where the house used to be? That's were they died."  
  
Goku decided to take over the explanation for her. "There are bones down there, probably Seisha's. Someone buried her there. Then they burned down their house, maybe because her father knew who did it. We found the man for you." He opened the back door and pulled Ryushi's squirming form from it, dropping him unceremoniously onto his backside in the dirt. He'd regained consciousness about halfway to Kaijiken and hadn't shut up since.  
  
"You can't prove a damn thing!"  
  
The group collectively gasped and the ghosts all turned toward Ryushi with anger clearly written all over their faces.  
  
"We were all under the impression that you had been taken, itouto." Uchida-sama asked with an expressionless face.  
  
The younger man glared at the silently grieving boy who stood just to the right of his body. "This gaki dragged me back here against my will. I hate this village!"  
  
Moving forward until he was mere inches away from his body, Uchida-sama kneeled down until he was staring into the other man's dark eyes. He held his gaze for a moment and then abruptly stood, turned away in his disgust. "Take him," he said to the silently waiting guards. "His trial will be tomorrow at noon."  
  
His face slackened with shock. "NANI?! You believe the word of some kid over my own? I am your flesh and blood!"  
  
The chief paused. "I will not associate myself with the likes of you. From this moment on we are not family any longer." Then he was walking down the road back to his home as the guards dragged Ryushi off to a holding cell. Goku's eyes followed the group saddened that things had to end this way. He knew that Seisha had probably been through a nightmare before she'd finally found peace, but he felt that no one deserved death. Not even Ryushi.  
  
Goku turned to the five ghosts, happy that they would, at last, be at peace. "We have a witness, he won't get away this time."  
  
The man approached him and laid a semi-transparent misty hand on the top of the boy's head and smiled. "Arigatou," he whispered softly.  
  
A young woman materialized before the family, her semi-transparent body shimmering and her face happy. She extended her hands toward the middle-aged man and woman and the two took her hands in their own. Then, they pulled her to them as the other three family members gathered around and the entire group vanished completely from sight.


	3. Chapter 3

_The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found_  
Chapter 3

The next day, Goku felt that he should move on now that everything was fine in the village (after acquiring the Uchida-sama's dragonball, of course). Over breakfast, he discussed a few ideas with Buruma and Shinpi.  
  
"I guess we could ask for some kind of payment for helping out," he said slowly, "and hope that he tells us that we can have anything we want."  
  
Shaking his head, Shinpi poured himself another cup of tea. "That won't work. The chief is not a very generous person. In fact, you would have more success if you were to steal it instead." The teen's face perked up at the thought, but quickly fell when Goku firmly shook his head.  
  
"I'm not a thief," he said. "My jiisan wouldn't like it."  
  
Buruma sighed. "We can just ask him can we have it, then. Hopefully he'll say 'hai'."  
  
As quickly as they could, the pair made their way down the street and to the village chief's neat house. Once again, he was working his garden. "Uchida-sama, can we have your dragonball?" Goku asked as politely as he could. "Shinpi-san told us that you had one in your living room."  
  
"Describe it," he commanded as he dusted his hands off and rose.  
  
"Well, it's about this big--" He held up his hands and demonstrated. "--, orange, and has red stars on it."  
  
For a moment the man silently constructed an image in his mind and then rolled his eyes when he figured out what the boy was talking about. "Oh, *that*. It was my wife's. Achigo found it somewhere and kept it as a knickknack. You can have the tacky thing." Uchida-sama tensed slightly as he received hugs from two extremely happy adolescents.  
  
"Arigatou!" they both chirped in unison.  
  
"Um, you're welcome." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "If you release me, I can get the dragonball for you."  
  
They nodded mutely and he disappeared inside his home, returning a few moments later with the three-star ball. Goku looked upward towards the heavens as he took it, knowing that he was one step closer to seeing his grandfather once again.  
  


***

  
Goku and Buruma looked at the sea of sand and sighed wearily in unison. "So, it's in there somewhere."  
  
"Hai," the teenage girl nodded.  
  
"Are you sure the radar's not broken?"  
  
She glared at him, blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "I made it myself," was forced out between clenched teeth. "It's fine." Goku merely smiled at her serenely.  
  
Pressing the button on the top of the radar, Bulma began to walk through the deep sand. "Follow me. I'll find the exact place and you get to digging."  
  
"Why me?" the boy asked curiously.  
  
"Because you're the strongest and you have the most stamina! Besides," she frowned at her hands, "my nails would probably break." Walking up a large hill, she started to go down the opposite side and tripped over something partially buried. Falling flat onto her face, the radar flew from her hand and slid down into a valley. "OW!"  
  
Goku came running at her shout. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" Then he looked down and grinned. "You found the dragonball!" The six-star ball rested on a cushion of sand.  
  
"Oh, great," she muttered as she brushed herself off. "I'm *so* happy for myself." As Goku picked up the orange sphere, she went to retrieve the dragonball radar. Just as her foot touched the bottom of the valley, it sank down into the sand up to the middle of her shin. "What in the-?" She screamed when the sand gave way beneath her and she felt herself begin to fall. "GOKU!"  
  
He scrambled down the dry, shifting sand and made it to the edge just as she completely disappeared from sight. "Oh, no," he said to himself as he worriedly peered over the edge. "Buruma, are you okay?"  
  
Her voice reached him faintly. "I just fell into a hole, Goku. OF COURSE I'M NOT OKAY!"  
  
"I'm gonna use my staff to pull you up." Then he felt the ground starting to give way underneath his knees. "Oh, never mind."  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"I'm gonna be coming down there with you soon."  
  
It was dark as pitch and fairly small in size. He had no idea how far he'd fallen, but was unpleasantly surprised to hit the ground... head first. "ITAI!"  
  
Buruma grinned involuntarily, knowing that he wasn't really injured. "Good thing your head is hard as a rock, kid."  
  
"It still hurt," he pouted. He pushed himself up from the ground and began to walk in the direction of his friend's voice. The low sound of pain told him that he came a little too close. "Oops, gomen."  
  
"Don't move," she told him as she rummaged around in her backpack. "I don't want you hurting me again." She pulled out a small flashlight and switched it on, the pale yellow beam illuminating a small triangular area in the darkness. The ground and surrounding cavern walls were made of pale limestone and there was a mountain of sand blocking the exit, it having slid down the slope with the widening of the hole. Buruma's hopes sank, her heartbeat speeding up with fear. "We're trapped down here! I don't want to die so soon!"  
  
Goku was worried, but he had it under control. "This is a tunnel, right? We should see where it goes."  
  
"W-what if it doesn't go anywhere?" she asked, her voice trembling ever-so-slightly.  
  
"Then I guess we're just stuck, but it's better than waiting until the air runs out."  
  
She had to admit that he had a point. The boy was handy to have around during a crisis.  
  
The ceiling of the adjacent tunnel was so low that it caused Buruma to have to duck her head while Goku was still able to walk normally. After a while, her neck was starting to get a crick in it. That, in turn, made her irritable.  
  
"This is all your fault, you know that!" she snapped.  
  
He was startled by her words. "How? You're the one who went after the radar!"  
  
"If you hadn't distracted me before, I would have noticed that damn dragonball! Then I wouldn't have tripped over it and we wouldn't be stuck down here!"  
  
Frowning, he just shook his head. "Whatever."  
  
Abruptly the tunnel opened into a large, round chamber. Giant stalactites and stalagmites projected from the ceiling and floor, some even larger than the teenage girl. Buruma immediately stood up and rotated the stiffness out of her neck. "Oh, thank Kami." Her smile faded when she realized that the two of them were now faced with several decisions.  
  
"Left, right, or straight," Goku mused. He turned to the older girl. "Do you have anything I can use? Like rope?"  
  
She dug around in her backpack and produced a spool of thread. "What are you going to do with this?"  
  
"Hold on to the end so that I can find my way back. Can you give me your flashlight?"  
  
"But then I wouldn't be able to see..." Against her better judgment, she handed it over anyway.  
  
Goku chose the left path and started to unroll the thread as he walked. The tunnel sloped gradually downward and leveled out after about twenty feet. Suddenly the ground dropped away into a deep pit. On the edge of the flashlight's beam he could see where the tunnel picked up on the other side. Unless there was no other choice, he would rather not have to deal with navigating his way across. Buruma wouldn't be able to handle it very well.  
  
The middle tunnel ended at what appeared to be a dead end. Upon further examination the boy discovered small cracks in the limestone surface that he would be able to wedge his fingers into. Again, it would involve skills that he just didn't think his new friend possessed. Buruma was a city girl and, therefore, used to an easier life. Having grown up in the forest, he'd spent a fair amount of time climbing and developing stamina and strength.  
  
The third tunnel was promising. It was relatively level and obstacle free. Goku went quite a ways before having to turn around and return to his friend.  
  
"We can go down that one, but the easiest isn't always the best."  
  
"It's better than the other two, right?" she asked as she wound up the thread. "Come on."  
  
The walk was easy and also pretty boring to Goku. He found himself whistling a song that his grandfather had taught him a few years ago and it caused melancholy thoughts to surface. He sighed and forced his mind onto something else. "Where do you live?"  
  
"In Western Capital. It's a big city that's pretty far away from here. It took me four days to reach Kaijiken."  
  
"I lived in the forest," he told her. "First with my okaasan and then with my jiisan. After he died--" His voice held only a tiny hitch. "--I went to live in Heiwa with Seion-sama."  
  
Buruma opened her mouth to say something else when a gentle vibration began beneath her feet. It rose in intensity and soon became an earthquake that would rate about a 3.5 on the Richter Scale. Both of them were knocked from their feet and the teen cringed when she recognized the source of the tremors.  
  
"Explosion above us," she forced out between clenched teeth. The girl looked up as if she were able to see who'd done it. Large pieces of limestone were breaking away from the ceiling and descending towards them at rapid speed. Goku pulled her free of the largest pieces and both of them ran back the way they'd come.  
  
It felt as if the entire tunnel system was collapsing around her which was, in fact, partially true. The easy tunnel, the one that Goku was sure his new friend would be able to handle, vanished almost instantly beneath tons of solid rock.  
  
Looking sadly at what used to be a very promising escape route, Goku sighed. "Just wasn't meant to be, I guess."  
  
"What are the other two choices?"  
  
"Either you hang or you climb. Which is better for you?"  
  
She shrugged. "How deep is the pit and how tall is the wall?"  
  
"Don't know and more than you would be able to handle."  
  
Longingly, she cast a look in the direction of the entrance. "I don't suppose you can dig really, really fast?" Then she answered her own question. "Never mind. That slope was so steep that more sand would just pour down here while you dug. Then we'd run out of air and suffocate to death."  
  
"Okay, then, we'll go left."  
  
Goku led her back through the tunnel and removed his staff from its sheath across his back. Buruma gasped when she looked over the edge and estimated the depth of the pit and then gulped when she saw how far across the other side was. There was a crack nearly three feet from the floor of the cavern and he wedged the staff into it, testing to make sure that it was secure.  
  
"Bo staff extend," he commanded. "You have to grab on with your hands and legs before trying to pull yourself across," he explained. "It's not going to move."  
  
It was approximately twenty-three feet from cliff to cliff and just about one-hundred feet to the ground below. To demonstrate, Goku held on firmly and started to make his way over the gap. "It's not that hard."  
  
The teenager rolled her eyes. "Easy for you to say. You're strong and used to physical activity." Despite how much she said that she couldn't do it, the girl didn't have much of a choice. It was either pull herself across the pit, climb the wall, or die from lack of air or water. There was still a chance that neither of them would make it out. After all, both of the remaining alternate paths could lead to a dead end.  
  
Buruma made sure the backpack she carried was fully closed and flexed her hands. "I can do this," she whispered to herself. "No problem." The boy was more than halfway across by the time she pulled herself up onto the staff. Firmly locking her legs around the magical wood, she slowly began the long journey. "I'm doing it!"  
  
He hopped off at the end and began to cheer. "Just a little bit more, Buruma! You can do it!"  
  
Everything was going fine until she made the mistake of looking down. Sweat broke out along her body and her hands slipped from the staff. "OH, KAMI!" Goku winced and shut his eyes, only to reopen them when he'd realized that the screaming had stopped. Buruma hung suspended by her legs, both eyes clenched shut as tight as they would go.  
  
"Just reach up and grab the staff again, okay? Slowly."  
  
Following his directions, she reached upward and strained to grab hold of the Bo staff again. Her abdominal muscles were beginning to ache the more she tightened them. "It's too hard!"  
  
Making a quick decision, Goku hopped onto the staff and dropped down beside her to hang by his tail. It bowed slightly beneath their combined weight, but held firm. "Reach up as far as you can and I'll pull you the rest of the way."  
  
Tears sprang to Buruma's eyes as she struggled to grasp his hands. Just when she felt as if she could move no farther, her hands made contact with the boy's. "Arigatou," she whispered with a weak smile.  
  
"I'll pull you across," he told her as he used his tail to propel them.  
  
The first thing she did upon reaching the other side was kneel down and lay her cheek against the cool limestone floor. Goku sheathed his staff and stared at her curiously. "I'm reacquainting myself with solid ground," she explained.  
  
Soon they were forced to move onward. The water supply was running low and Goku was becoming weak with hunger. About every twenty steps his stomach let out a fierce growl and he winced. "So hungry..."  
  
"I have a couple of granola bars," Buruma said as she pulled them from her pack. "They're not much for you, but-" Before she could finish her sentence, they were snatched from her hand.  
  
"Oh, domo arigatou!" he said to her before quickly unwrapping one of his prizes and stuffing the entire thing into his mouth.  
  
"Mmm, honey."  
  
The teen chuckled slightly, and after he consumed the other one, they continued on.  
  
Twenty minutes later the tunnel began to gradually slant upwards and the air started to smell fresher. A tiny sliver of bright light shone through what seemed to be a dead end and a smile spread across Goku's face. "This is it," he said. "We're almost out."  
  
"It looks thick," she said as she examined the stone. "Too thick for you to move."  
  
Goku nodded in a preoccupied way and pressed his hands to the wall over the crack. He pushed on it slightly then, after a moment, exerted more force. For a long moment absolutely nothing happened. Buruma was starting to give up hope and the boy was beginning to tire. Then, the wall gave a loud raspy sound as the pieces of rock slid against each other and a hole became larger. It wasn't even large enough for Goku to get his head through, but it was a start.  
  
"Now, it's gonna be easy," he said with confidence. Wedging his hands into the hole, he pulled backwards. It widened significantly. He grinned as he gazed out at an endless sea of sand and clear blue sky. "Ta da!"  
  
"I could kiss you!" Buruma cried. Then she grabbed him and planted a big one directly onto his forehead. "Bless you!"  
  
Blushing slightly, he rubbed his forehead with his tail. "Um, how do we get back to the capsule house? I'm close to starving to death."  
  
By following the compass on her watch, they were quickly able to locate where they had made camp. Along the way they saw the crater where the explosives had detonated. Neither knew why it had happened only that it had nearly cost them their lives.  
  
"I think it was a mistake," Buruma surmised. "There haven't been any reports of fighting in this area. At least, I haven't heard of any."  
  
"Why would they fight? For fun?"  
  
"Not this kind of fighting, Goku. They do it to hurt each other as much as possible."  
  
He shook his head in a bewilderment. "I don't understand."  
  
"No one does, kid. Not really."  
  
Everything was, miraculously, exactly where they'd left it. Weary both mentally and physically, the two only wanted a good meal and a warm bed. The teen collapsed on the sofa while Goku rummaged through the fridge.  
  
"Can you bring me something, too? I'm too tired to move." She kicked off her shoes and closed her eyes. Goku nodded and fixed a tray for her. There were so many different things on it that it weighed heavily on her lap when he set it down.  
  
"What's all of this?"  
  
"I couldn't decide what to choose so I brought one of everything. Was that okay?"  
  
She hid her smile. "It's fine. You can help me eat it."  
  
That night, Goku took the time to reflect before he fell asleep. His quest for the dragonballs was taking him to places he would have never seen otherwise. ' _Even if things don't work out, I guess I can say that this was all worth it._ ' "Buruma?"  
  
"Hmm?" was the sleepy reply.  
  
"Did you find me by accident or were you following my dragonball?"  
  
There was a brief moment of silence. "I must have been following it in the beginning, but once I found that road I put the radar up. Being tired and hungry, I was done searching for the day."  
  
"Oh. That's why you didn't know that there was one in Kaijiken. G'night, Buruma."  
  
"Good night, Goku."  
  


***

  
After breakfast the next morning, Buruma went to retrieve the radar to locate the fifth dragonball. She knew that her backpack had been left on the coffee table in the living room, but it wasn't there when she entered the room. "Goku!"  
  
"Nani?" he called back.  
  
"Did you move my things from the living room?"  
  
"Why would I do that?"  
  
She scratched her head. "Then where is it?"  
  
After twenty minutes of thorough searching, she concluded that not only was her backpack missing, but her capsules, a lot of electronics, and Goku's staff as well. "I think someone stole our stuff! Those dragonballs are important!"  
  
"How can we find who did it? This desert is gigantic!" Goku was upset about their latest predicament, but he didn't see how things could be rectified.  
  
Buruma paced and tried to come up with a plan. On her fifth pass by the window, she noticed something in the sand. "Footprints," she said. "They left footprints!" She wondered how stupid could a thief get, but, then again, there weren't exactly any tree branches around to brush them away. She'd seen that done on television once. "Let's go before the trail becomes cold."  
  
Goku nodded and blushed when his stomach growled loudly. "Um, Buruma..."  
  
She sighed. "Go ahead."  
  
Ten minutes later they were following the trail left behind by, what seemed to be, a man. The footprints were large both in width and in length and their depth indicated that the culprit weight over one-hundred-fifty pounds. They led around a tall dune and stopped at a large boulder. The teen snorted. "How conspicuous can you get. Even *without* the footprints I would've still been able to find it."  
  
"What does conspicuous mean?"  
  
"It was obvious."  
  
"Oh." Goku went up to the boulder and pushed tentatively on it. It moved very easily. "This'll take a few seconds."  
  
The cavern was lit by torches that sent golden light bouncing along the stone walls. A long, relatively narrow tunnel led directly to the central chamber... and the largest hoard either of them had ever seen. There were many different types of electronics, jewelry, and assorted valuables. Behind it all there was a smaller cavern: the living space of the thief.  
  
"We really struck gold this time, Pu'ar. Do you know how much capsules can go for in the remote towns and villages out here?" Yamucha looked down at the collection that rested on a small table. The tall sixteen-year-old boy with the long, untamed black hair had been abandoned long ago by his parents. He couldn't even remember what they looked like. It didn't matter, though, he and Pu'ar were doing quite well for themselves. "That girl even had some I've never even seen before!"  
  
"She's Dr. Briefs' daughter, Yamucha," Pu'ar said. The small blue cat flew over to a shelf and pulled down a book. Flipping to the correct page, she pointed to a picture. In it was the doctor himself, his wife, and Buruma as a little girl.  
  
Yamucha gazed down at the seven-year-old's smiling face. "Well, I'll be damned. If we kidnapped her, who knows much ransom we'd get!"  
  
Pu'ar shook her head vehemently. "We can't do that, it's wrong!"  
  
"Pu'ar, *stealing* is wrong."  
  
"Hai, but it's not as bad as this would be. Dr. Briefs would be sad that his daughter was in trouble and Mrs. Briefs would probably cry." She turned her back to him. "I won't do it!"  
  
He rose from his chair and crossed to the cave entrance. "Okay, *you* don't have to. It'll only take me a few minutes."  
  
Yamucha stepped from the small cavern and almost bumped into Goku. He looked down, surprise clearly displayed on his face. "How the hell did you get in here, kid?!"  
  
"I moved the rock."  
  
In his mind, the statement just didn't make any sense. *He* could hardly move the boulder, how in the world could a little boy do it? "Oh, really?"  
  
"Hai. I also can't let you go after my friend." He gave him a stern look to show that he meant business. "What did Buruma ever do to you?"  
  
"It's not what she did, but what she's going to do." The young man spotted Buruma crouched in the shadows and did a strange combination of three things. First, a pleased look came into his eyes, he grinned, and then he blushed. "Uh, uh, uh..." He stood there, frozen.  
  
Pu'ar landed gently on Yamucha's shoulder. "That means hello," she explained.  
  
Instead of a greeting, he received a lot of angry screaming. "How dare you even *think* of using me to acquire money from my otousan! You're nothing more than a sleazy, lowlife who doesn't have any other skills." She glared at him. "I'll be taking back our things, now."  
  
Her words caused him to come back to life. "If you think that I'm just about to let you ruin a night's work then you've got another thing coming."  
  
"Iie, *you* do." She turned to Goku. "Handle this, please."  
  
The boy's eyes lit up with delight. It had been a while since the last time he was able to fight someone. He hoped that the battle would be, at least, a *little* challenging. Goku couldn't remember the last time he'd had a good opponent. "Really, Buruma? I can fight him?" The teen nodded and a grin spread across his face. Turning to Yamucha, he said, "I hope you're strong."  
  
"Don't worry," was the confident reply, "I am."  
  
Pu'ar and Buruma stood on the edge of the sole empty area of the central cavern, each cheering on their friend. "Make him pay, Goku! Don't hold back!"  
  
"You can do it, Yamucha!"  
  
Goku and Yamucha both dropped down into defensive stances. The boy's hands were sort of hovering out in space, completely leaving himself open to attacks. The desert bandit's, on the other hand, were carefully positioned in front of his body, his fingers curved downward like the claws of some wild beast. It looked as if Yamucha had received more training and that Goku had no idea what he was doing.  
  
Neither fighter made any movement for several seconds, each sizing up the other. The thief felt that he was fighting an amateur, someone who would provide little or no challenge, Goku, on the other had, recognized the skill Yamucha possessed and was positively twitching with excitement.  
  
"Are you ready?" Yamucha asked.  
  
"Hai. This is for everything you stole from us and a promise that you won't ever do anything bad again."  
  
His heart sank as images of being rich crumbled and was blown away by the wind. But then he cheered; there was no way a little kid with a monkey tail would ever be able to defeat him. "Okay, sure."  
  
"You're for real?" Pu'ar asked in astonishment. "How will we survive?"  
  
"I'm not going to lose, Pu'ar. Don't worry." He nodded in Goku's direction. "When you lose, you'll quietly walk away and let us have the girl over there. Do we have a deal?"  
  
Goku nodded. "It's a deal."  
  
"Hey!" Buruma protested, but it went completely unnoticed.  
  
They lunged in unison, the teenager making the first move. Goku blocked it easily and began an series of blows to test his opponent's defenses. Few landed. This continued on until Yamucha knocked him backward with a punch to the midsection.  
  
Goku doubled over involuntarily and winced. "You were telling the truth about your strength."  
  
Grinning, he answered, "Hai. You ready to give up yet?"  
  
"Nope! Not when I have a reason to stop holding back."  
  
There was a long moment of stunned silence. The bandit and Pu'ar exchanged looks of shock while Buruma smirked. "You're going down, Mister Lowlife."  
  
"Not if I can help it." He gritted his teeth and readied himself for what was to come. Nothing could have prepared him for the flurry of punches and kicks that suddenly came his way. The onslaught was so fierce that defending himself was the least he could do.  
  
Within minutes, he'd fallen to one knee, gasping in pain. Goku paused in his attack and gazed down at the defeated Yamucha in silence.  
  
"Go ahead," the bandit said in a low voice. "You've earned it."  
  
"Earned what?" Goku asked, genuinely confused.  
  
"The victor earns the right to kill the defeated. It would save me the shame of having to face others after being beaten by a child."  
  
Expression pensive, Goku kneeled down before him. "I don't want to kill you, Yamucha." He consciously lightened his tone. "How can I fight you again if you're dead?"  
  
He sighed. "It would be better if you did. The only thing I know how to do well is steal things. Since you made me promise not to do it anymore, and because I'm a man of honor, I don't have any way to take care of me and Pu'ar."  
  
"You could learn," Buruma said, her hostility towards him lessened considerably. Oh, she was still angry with him, but not as much as before. "Join up with us and you can discover what you're good at."  
  
Goku nodded with a smile. "That'll be great!"  
  
"I don't know about that. Pu'ar and I have made a life here in the desert. We've stolen from passing travelers -- as well as many of the neighboring villages and towns -- and have established a reputation. Starting over and going back to being a small fish will be hard for me."  
  
"But it's better to earn something than to just take it. You'd feel a lot better about it." Goku persisted. "C'mon, just travel with us for a while. It'll be fun."  
  
Yamucha considered everything for a moment and then eventually agreed. "Alright, but I have one question."  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"What on Chikyuu am I going to do with all of this stuff?!"


	4. Chapter 4

_The First Tale of Shukumei: Ghosts From the Past_  
Chapter 4

It was decided that they would auction it off and give the proceeds to several charitable foundations. Yamucha felt very good after seeing underprivileged families receive support that was sorely needed.  
  
"I have to admit that you were right, Goku," he'd told the boy. "Putting a smile on a little boy or girl's face is much better than theft."  
  
Buruma's radar led them to the nearest dragonball... at the bottom of an ocean. There was something odd about this ball, however; it constantly moved. Every single time they stopped the hydroplane over the water and started to get out, they had to move again.  
  
"Something funny is going on," Yamucha said as he stared down at the water from his window.  
  
"You think?" the pilot asked sarcastically as she, once again, started the engine. "It's almost like something has it... That's it!" She grinned to herself and cut the engine. "I'm such a genius I even amaze myself sometimes."  
  
Her words were met with three blank looks.  
  
The teen slid open the door and pointed to the glassy surface. "We're going down there to retrieve the dragonball. There are wet suits in the back so suit up."  
  
Pu'ar floated in front of her face. "Can I go, too? Please!"  
  
"Well, I don't have a one small enough to fit you..."  
  
She smiled and shape-shifted into the form a human woman with short-cut dark blue hair. Only her small black eyes remained unchanged. "You do now!"  
  
Showing them all how to use the scuba gear wasn't the hardest task of the day and neither was allowing her assistants time to get used to the unfamiliar weight on their backs. No, the most trying of moments was bound to be the search for the dragonball itself. Being that it wasn't the least bit waterproof, Buruma had encased the radar in a shallow plastic box that had been liberally coated with water-repellent.  
  
"Before we go down, I want you to all know that you can't come back up too fast. You get what's known as the bends and it can kill you."  
  
"How far down are we going?" Yamucha asked curiously.  
  
"It depends on what has the ball. Could be anywhere from ten feet to one-hundred thirty. Anything past that and I'll have to try to use my mini-sub." She made sure that her equipment was secure and asked, "Everyone ready?" Receiving nods, she pushed herself down into the water with a splash.  
  
Buruma had only been deep sea diving a few times, but she skin-dived like an old pro. Out of the other three, only Yamucha had scuba dived before. Pu'ar had watched from the beach.  
  
She switched on her high-powered dive light and motioned for them to follow her down into the murky depths. Schools of brightly colored tropical fish swam by, over, and underneath them while larger fish and mammals steered clear. They swam for nearly two minutes before Buruma realized what had the dragonball.  
  
Pulling free her communication slate, she quickly wrote down that a killer whale had swallowed the ball. Yamucha wrote back, 'Don't killer whales eat people?' Buruma nodded and then answered, 'Sometimes, but this is for Goku. We have to try.'  
  
The whale rested in the water, its flippers waving gently, as if casually waiting for prey to happen along. Buruma made sure that they approached it from behind and waited until it opened its mouth to eat something else. 'It has teeth so we'll have to be careful to avoid them.'  
  
Pu'ar paled visibly and her eyes widened behind her mask. She took the slate and wrote down with a shaking hand, 'TEETH?! I'm too young to die!'  
  
'Hold on to my tail,' Goku wrote to her. 'I'll pull you through.' She smiled as best she could around the regulator and hugged him briefly.  
  
A large school of blue-spotted sunfish swam above the whale, seemingly not noticing the predator. In a sudden movement, the marine mammal was behind them and opening his mouth to consume his unsuspecting meal. Buruma saw a chance and took it.  
  
The four of them swam as quickly as they could towards the whale and inside of its mouth just as the powerful jaws closed around them. They made sure to stay clear of its teeth as they made their way deeper inside of its body.  
  
'So far, so good,' the teenage girl wrote down. 'Follow me.'  
  
It was relatively dry inside its body as all of the excess water was forced out through the whale's blowhole. They all closed the air valve on their tanks to conserve air and removed the regulators from their mouths. "That wasn't so bad," Pu'ar said with a relieved sigh. "I have one question, though."  
  
"Hai?" Buruma asked.  
  
"How in the world are we supposed to get out?!"  
  
After a moment of though, the girl shrugged. "I have no idea, but a way should present itself." Without any further conversation, she started off.  
  
Deeper and deeper they went until the light flashed briefly over the object they were searching for. With a muffled cheer of happiness, she went over to retrieve the one-star ball. "Success!"  
  
Goku grinned. "This is great."  
  
Just when she was about to try and figure out a way to escape, her dive computer began to beep, signaling that she was running out of air. She cursed vehemently when she realized that she hadn't closed the valve tightly and that air had been escaping uselessly. "The whale should have to surface for air soon and we should be able to exit through its blowhole. I don't want to wait down here too long so if it doesn't do it within five minutes, we're going to have to ascend another way."  
  
"Okay, Buruma," Goku told her as he wandered off to explore for a little while. She gave him a look while tapping her dive computer with an index finger and he nodded.  
  
He found himself further than he intended to go, but when he heard a sigh, it felt as if something (or someone) had guided him there. Searching with his small flashlight, he found a giant sea turtle staring up at him with depressed eyes. "Hi," he greeted. "I'm Goku. What's your name?"  
  
The depression instantly changed to hope. "You-you're not a mirage?"  
  
"Nope. At least, I don't *think* I'm a whatever-you-called-it. I'm a boy." The turtle sweatdropped slightly.  
  
"My name's Umigame," he said. "I was swimming on the surface when this whale came out of nowhere and swallowed me! I have no idea how long I've been down here."  
  
Goku felt sorry for him. "I can take you home, Umigame. My friends and I came in here for a dragonball and it was lucky I found you, too."  
  
"Goku! We're leaving!" Buruma called.  
  
"Okay!" He kneeled down beside Umigame. "Are you hurt or anything? Can you move on your own?"  
  
"My right flipper struck one of its teeth and it hurts to move it."  
  
"Hmm," he thought for a moment. "I think I can carry you on my back, but you have to make sure not to move the big metal thing. Buruma says that's where all the air is."  
  
"GOKU!"  
  
He kneeled down so that Umigame could climb up and pushed himself back to his feet. For a moment he swayed, almost toppling over, but Goku was able to steady himself. "All set."  
  
The others were ready when he returned. "Can someone help me? My hands are full."  
  
"You brought back a turtle?" Yamucha asked, a look of surprise on his face.  
  
"Hai, he needed my help."  
  
Buruma crossed over to him to replace his regulator and open the air valve on his tank when a vibration so strong shook the body of the whale that they were all almost knocked from their feet. They next thing they knew, a gigantic force of air was pushing them upward and through the mammal's blowhole. The five of them were suspended over the water for a few seconds before falling back downward into the ocean. Yamucha whooped as he removed the regulator. "That was fantastic! Let's do it again!"  
  
"I'd rather not," Pu'ar said, shaken from the journey downward and the hard impact she made against the glassy water. She treaded water as she looked around for the hydroplane. It was off in the distance about half a mile away from their current location. "The whale must have swam for a little while." With a poof, she transformed back into her true form and took to the air. Her legs had been getting tired.  
  
"Pu'ar, can you turn into a speed boat? It would really help us out a lot." Yamucha smiled encouragingly at her and the little blue cat couldn't help smiling back.  
  
"Okay, Yamucha." She would do anything for him. With another poof, a small boat appeared in the water. Everyone carefully boarded and she returned them safely to the plane.  
  
After a brief lunch, Goku informed them that he promised Umigame that he would take him home. "Where do you live?"  
  
"It's an island not that far from here. I live there with Kamesennin[1]. Someone has to keep him from becoming too lecherous."  
  
"About how much of a lecher is he?" Buruma asked. "I'm not getting off this plane if he's too bad."  
  
"Oh, he's not as bad as he used to be. I think I've had a positive influence on him."  
  
They disembarked on the beach, Goku still carrying Umigame. Kamesennin, and old man with a long white beard, sunglasses, a loudly-printed tropical shirt, and a shiny bald head, came to the door on the first knock and his eyes widened to see his turtle safe and sound.  
  
"You were gone for three days! What happened?"  
  
"It's a long story, Kamesennin. This is Buruma, Yamucha, Pu'ar and Goku. Guys, this is Kamesennin Muten Roshi, the strongest martial artist in the world." He turned back to the turtle hermit. "I owe everything to Goku, Muten. He rescued me."  
  
"Oh, really?" Kamesennin stroked his beard thoughtfully. "An act of kindness deserves a reward and I think I know exactly what to give to you." He walked out onto the beach, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted to the sky. "Come here, cloud!"  
  
For a moment absolutely nothing happened. Everyone except Umigame looked at Kamesennin as if he'd lost his mind. Then, a flying yellow cloud appeared on the horizon and stopped directly in front of the old man. "This cloud was given to me a long time ago but, unfortunately, I can't ride it." He looked away in slight embarrassment and then cleared his throat. "I would like to give this flying cloud to you as a thank you gift, Goku. First, let's see if you can use it."  
  
Goku climbed up and stood on top of the puffy yellow cloud, half afraid that something bad was going to happen. When nothing did, he sat down and shouted, "Go cloud, go!" He zoomed around the island, laughing joyously.  
  
Kamesennin smiled. "It's now yours," he called. "You can name it whatever you want."  
  
"I'm going to call it Kinto'un[2] because it looks just like a big wad of cotton candy!"  
  
Leaving the boy alone with his brand new toy, the group went inside Kamesennin's home and made themselves comfortable while Umigame's wound was taken care of. The sea turtle attacked his meal of chilled seaweed with ravenous hunger. "Oh thank you, Muten Roshi. You have no idea how good this tastes."  
  
Buruma checked for the locations of the last two dragonballs and was shocked to find only one. "Where in the world is that dragonball? How can it hide from my radar like this?"  
  
"I may have a way for you to find your whatever-you-call-it," Roshi informed her as he served them tea. He squeezed into the remaining space on the couch between the arm and her body and made sure to touch her at every opportunity. "My sister, Baba, is a fortune-teller. Ask her any question in the world and she will know the answer."  
  
"Where can I find her?"  
  
"I will have to show you. It's hard to describe." He finished his tea and placed the mug down onto the tray. "I'm going to freshen up, it will only take a few minutes." A giant perverted grin stretched across his face and he looked at Buruma. "Unless you would like to shower with me?"  
  
His response was a hard slap across his left cheek. "I didn't think so," he said while rubbing the red mark. He smiled at her again and disappeared into the bathroom.  
  
Buruma glared at Umigame. " 'He's not as bad as he used to be', eh?"  
  
"Definitely," he nodded. "Before, Muten Roshi would have hit on you every few minutes from the time you walked in the door."  
  
"Oh. This *is* better, then."  
  
Roshi emerged ten minutes later in a completely new outfit. He'd ditched the bright shirt and khaki shorts for something more befitting a sensei. He wore a black Mandarin style pants suit with a wide white vertical stripe running up the center to end at his collar and white cuffs. Going to the closet, he retrieved his wooden cane. "All ready," he said as he placed the empty mugs in the kitchen sink to be washed later. "I assume you have some method of transportation."  
  
"Of course," the girl said with a slightly offended sniff. "I *do* have my capsules, after all." She pressed the button on the capsule and threw it out onto the sand. The plane appeared in a puff of smoke. "Everyone climb aboard."  
  
The first one on the plane, Kamesennin claimed the front passenger seat right next to Buruma. She rolled her eyes but remained silent on the matter. Yamucha and Pu'ar took the seat on her side of the plane while Goku took the one by the door.  
  
Umigame waved to them with his good flipper as they took off. "Ja ne, Umigame!" Goku called, his face pressed to the window. "See you soon!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] = literally "Turtle Hermit"  
> [2] = the original Japanese name for "Nimbus"; it means "candy cloud"


	5. Chapter 5

_The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found_  
Chapter 5

The ride back out to the desert was a long one. As the plane flew over the golden sands, Buruma struggled to keep her eyes open. She'd been flying for three hours without any sign of Baba's palace. Soon, they were going to have to land whether they found it or not. She could only go so many hours without sleep.  
  
"There," Roshi suddenly said as he pointed to what appeared to be a speck on the glass. As she drew closer to it, the forms of tall spires materialized and she wondered how he could have known what it was from so far away.  
  
"We're almost there, guys," she called to the three passengers in the back. Yamucha and Pu'ar each gave a sleepy nod, but Goku didn't move. He remained fast asleep even when Pu'ar flew over and patted his cheek.  
  
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Boy, can Goku sleep." Then, receiving an idea, she leaned close to his ear and shouted, "GOKU! WAKE UP!"  
  
Not a murmur or a twitch. Yamucha laughed. "Nothing short of a bomb going off can wake him up, I guess."  
  
Buruma let him sleep for a little while longer, but just until they landed. Then she climbed into the back and demonstrated the proper way to wake the boy. "GOKU, IT'S DINNER TIME! YOU BETTER GET IT BEFORE IT'S GONE!"  
  
"Food?! Where?!" His eyes snapped open as he jumped from his seat. Goku looked around eagerly, his tail wagging behind him. Then he frowned, disappointed, when he realized that he'd been tricked. "That was mean."  
  
"Just a little," she responded. "We're at Baba's castle so, unless you want to stay and sleep some more, I suggest you get a move on."  
  
Goku couldn't pass up the chance to meet someone new and see something different. He hopped from the plane and followed everyone to the front entrance. There was a line of people waiting in the twilight, each one probably there to ask a question. An assistant opened the door and shouted to the crowd, "Uranai Baba[1] will be with you all in just a moment. Please wait your turn."  
  
"I guess we're going to be here a while," Yamucha sighed.  
  
"Iie, we're not. As her younger brother, I have a right to cut in front of all these people." Roshi marched to the front of the line and knocked on the door. "Konnichi-wa. I am Kamesennin Muten Roshi. Please tell my sister, Baba, that my friends and I are here to see her."  
  
The man studied him for a second, nodded, and shut the door. Roshi hummed underneath his breath as he waited and smiled as the door opened again. "So?"  
  
"She said, 'Let the old fool wait his turn like everyone else'." Then he shut the door in his face.  
  
Roshi blushed and tried to hide it as he walked back to his assembled friends. "Uh, I decided that it wouldn't be okay to cut in front of everyone after all. We'll just have to wait our turn like everyone else." He received nods and was relieved to be asked no questions.  
  
Yamucha whispered to Buruma. "I think his sister dissed him."  
  
"You're probably right."  
  
The old man overheard and turned around to face them with a frown on his crimson-colored face. "She did *not* diss me!"  
  
"Sure, she didn't," was the choral response of disbelief.  
  
The door opened and a middle-aged couple in fine clothing came out. "I told you that the maid hadn't stolen your necklace, dear," the man told his wife. "Aristotle is merely fascinated by shiny baubles."  
  
"That cat is going to the shelter as soon as we get home!"  
  
"Don't blame him for your mistakes, Gwynn. If you hadn't left it out on the dressing table then he would have never taken it." The wealthy couple climbed into a black limousine and drove off.  
  
"Next!" Baba's assistant called. The group filed through the doorway single-file and, unfortunately, it wasn't their turn. Goku sighed and began shadow sparring to keep the boredom away. The pale light of the waning moon shone behind him, casting a deep shadow onto the sand. When Buruma saw this happen, she tensed up for a moment and turned wary eyes to the sky.  
  
"Whew!" she sighed in relief. "It's not full."  
  
"What's wrong with a full moon, Buruma?" Pu'ar asked curiously. "I think they're pretty."  
  
"Pretty deadly to anyone in the same vicinity as Goku."  
  
By the time she'd caught the attention of Roshi and Yamucha. "Why?" the former desert bandit asked her.  
  
"Because I transform and kill people." Turning, they found Goku standing nearby with a pained expression on his face. "I'm trying to find the dragonballs to wish my jiisan back. I killed him last month on the night of the full moon. Something just came over me when I became that giant monkey and I couldn't stop myself."  
  
Roshi placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You shouldn't feel bad because of something you had no control over. I sense that you're one of the purest people I've ever come across in my lifetime." He smiled. "You have to be in order to ride Kinto'un."  
  
His forehead creased in confusion. "I don't understand."  
  
"The magical flying cloud can only be ridden by those pure of heart. I can't use it because of my, um..."  
  
"Perversion?" Buruma suggested with a smirk. "Degenerateness? Immoral behavior?"  
  
"Because of my appreciation of the nude female form," he finished with a glare in the teenager's direction.  
  
"Oh," was the reply. "Why would you want to look at naked girls?"  
  
Roshi leaned in an whispered to the boy, "I'll explain when you're older."  
  
Just then, the group of young men from before exited looking as if they'd gotten the beating of their life. Covered in bandages, they leaned on each other has they headed to their minivan. "Oh, Kami," one groaned. "I'm never coming back here again without the money!"  
  
Buruma stared at them for a moment and then stared at Roshi. "How much money are we talking here?"  
  
"Oh, you'll see soon enough."  
  
Through the door was a small square room and yet another door. On the other side of it was a stone pathway that led between two large crystal-clear fountains. It ended at a third door.  
  
Before reaching the door, however, Baba herself waited for them. She sat cross-legged upon her crystal ball, dressed entirely in black with a pointed witch's hat atop her head. "Greetings," she said in a low, gravelly voice. "Before we begin, I must take payment from you."  
  
"How much is it?" Buruma asked as she reached into her backpack for her checkbook.  
  
"One-million zenni." That froze her hand mid-reach.  
  
"NANI?!" she screeched. "I don't even get that much in allowance in a year!" She thought for a moment. "Maybe I could ask otousan to loan me the money..."  
  
Yamaha snorted. "You're going to ask him to loan you a million zenni so that an old hag can read your fortune?"  
  
"HEY!" Baba protested as her brother snickered. "I am *not* that old!" Then she blinked. "Wait..."  
  
Buruma sighed. "Yeah, it does sound a little stupid."  
  
"I call in my favor, Baba," Kamesennin said suddenly, causing everyone to look at him. "Do you remember?"  
  
The old woman's face twisted in disgust. "Hai, I remember, Roshi. It doesn't earn you a free telling, though. Only a 50% reduction of the fee."  
  
"500,000 zenni isn't too bad," Bulma said. "Do you take checks?"  
  
"I take debit or credit only. I've had too much trouble out of people that write me checks." She held out her right hand as a credit card machine appeared in the other. She slid the Capsule Corp. card though and inputted the amount. "Everything's all set," she said as she handed Buruma her receipt. "Would anyone like refreshments before we begin?"  
  
"I do! I do!" Goku said, his hand raised. He rushed forward eagerly. "Do you have any chocolate chip cookies? I really like those."  
  
Baba smiled at the boy. "I'll see what I can find."  
  


***

  
Ten minutes later they were gathered around the old woman in a semi-circle and watched as she searched for the dragonball. The lights were off in the small chamber and the only light came from the dozens of small candles lit everywhere. Baba told them earlier that she didn't really need the atmosphere, but it usually helped to make people feel that they had gotten their money's worth. Buruma had to admit that it was working.  
  
"Oh great spirits hear my words. Show me the location of the hidden dragonball." She hummed underneath her breath and winked ever-so-slightly at her brother. The ritual wasn't really necessary, either.  
  
Mists parted in the crystal ball and all present could see a thick, lead-lined black box. "The dragonball is inside."  
  
"Where is the box?" Buruma asked.  
  
Baba turned to regard her. "That information will cost you one million zenni, m'dear."  
  
"NANI!? I can't afford that!"  
  
"Too bad." The image started to fade. "You would have found it easily."  
  
Roshi fixed her with a stern look. "Baba, tell the kids where the dragonball is."  
  
"You'll owe me a favor..." she said in a sing-song tone.  
  
"I don't care; just do it."  
  
"Alright." She concentrated and cleared the fog away from the image once more. "This creature has it somewhere in the jungle west of here. He is a pig that walks and talks just as a ningen does. It should only take you a day or two, at the most, to locate his exact whereabouts." She bowed her head. "This is all I can tell you."  
  
Buruma thanked her and led the group from the palace.  
  
"Do we retrieve the ball I can find or go after the pig?" she asked.  
  
They were split down the middle. Goku and Yamucha said to go after the pig while Buruma and Pu'ar said the exact opposite. Roshi was impartial.  
  
"You're the tie-breaker, Kamesennin." Pu'ar said. "Cast your vote, onegai!"  
  
He studied each group as he thought. "Hmm. I guess I'll have to go with Goku and Yamucha. I sense that we may have to fight this pig and I'm always up for a good battle."  
  
Goku perked up at the words. "Did you say we would have to fight?"  
  
"I said 'we may', Goku. Don't become overly eager." He lightly rapped him with his staff. "If I am to become your sensei, you must listen to me."  
  
"You are?" he asked while scratching his head. "I didn't know that."  
  
The old man nodded. "I have yet to make a final decision but, so far, I've sensed great potential within you. By the end of this quest I'll be able to give you a final answer."  
  
Buruma was too tired to fly them anywhere, so she put up the capsule house instead. The only model she had with her was a one-bedroom, unfortunately, so she shared it with Pu'ar and Goku while Yamucha and Roshi camped in the living room.  
  
After breakfast the next morning, they headed west. The vague description of travel time from Baba wasn't very helpful. Fuel was running low in her plane and she was worried that they would run out in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully the pig was located in a town of some sort -- one that had a gas station.  
  
"Is that the jungle?" Goku asked. An expansive dark green swathe that was dotted here and there with various other tropical colors stretched as far as his eyes could see. "It's huge!"  
  
"Stupid Baba and her vagueness." Buruma grumbled. Just as she spoke a light on the console began to flash, signaling that fuel was down to a quarter tank. "I'm going to have to land. Help me find a village or something."  
  
The four passengers set about the task of locating some kind of community. Pu'ar excitedly plastered herself to the windshield and pointed to something off in the distance. "Over there! I see something!"  
  
It turned out to be a small city and they were all grateful for that. Buruma landed the plane, using a wide street as a runway, and slowly taxied to a stop. "Domo arigatou for flying Briefs Airlines," she joked. "I hope to see you again soon."  
  
They all blinked in the bright sunlight of mid-afternoon after disembarking. "Okay," the teen girl said. "I'm going to buy some gas while you guys look for the pig." She handed Goku the dragonball radar. "He might take it out of the box. Unlikely, but possible."  
  
He pressed the button and immediately saw two dragonballs blink on the screen. Just as he'd figured out the approximate distance, one of the small round lights disappeared. "About a mile that way," he said while slowly turning to point in the correct direction. "Are you guys coming with me?"  
  
Yamucha and Roshi both said yes, but Pu'ar shook her head. "I'll stay here with Buruma," the cat said. "I don't want her to be lonely."  
  
"Aw, that's sweet," the girl said in response. "I'll buy you something special later, okay?"  
  
"Okay!"  
  
Waving goodbye to the pair, Yamucha and Roshi followed Goku's lead.  
  
"You want to play a game? My jiisan taught this to me when I couldn't talk yet."  
  
Yamucha was amazed. "You remember that?!"  
  
"Sure. It was only four years ago." The boy didn't see the look he and Roshi shared. "This is how you play. When I do something you have to copy me exactly. It can be anything."  
  
The teenage boy had to admit that it sounded interesting. "Alright, start."  
  
Beginning with an easy one, Goku took his right hand and patted the top of his head with it. He turned around to see the other two copying him exactly. "Good. Just like that."  
  
"Does this get any harder? Please tell me it gets harder."  
  
"Of course it does!" While walking backwards, he did three back flips. Roshi and Yamucha copied him easily. Knowing that they were both accomplished martial artists, Goku realized that more would have to be done to trip them up. Just as he was about to try something else, his foot came into contact with only air and he started to fall backwards.  
  
"Uh, oh," he got out before he began tumbling down a slope. Collisions with rocks and sharp sticks left bruises and scrapes, but nothing really hurt him that badly. With a splash, he found himself face down in a shallow creek. "Ugh," he groaned as he pushed himself upward with his hands. "That wasn't very fun."  
  
Roshi made sounds of disapproval as they came down the incline. "We'll have to work on your awareness."  
  
Over the small bridge across the creek, they followed the small path until it broadened into a road. Along it were two large houses, each on opposite sides and about half a mile apart.  
  
"This is about a mile away from the city," Goku said. "Which house do you think it is?" His question was answered when the front door of the house on the left opened and a little pig stepped out in a dark green military uniform. He looked around for a moment and spotted them standing in the road.  
  
"Konnichi-wa," he said, leaning on his fence gate. "Can I help you?"  
  
"We're looking for a dragonball. It's about this big,--" Goku shaped his hands in something that resembled a sphere. "--and has orange stars on it. Do you have one?"  
  
The pig's eyes widened and he quickly tried to hide his reaction to the boy's words. "Uh, iie," he said unconvincingly. "Why would I have something as weird as that?"  
  
Goku's eyebrows drew downward. "I think you're lying. It's not nice to lie."  
  
"Uh, okay," he sighed. "I have it. But!" The pig's eyes turned sly. "You have to do something for me, first."  
  
"We're listening," Yamucha said.  
  
"There is a certain magazine collection that I've had my eye on for months now. It's called Hot Girls Gold. If you can get the entire set for me, I'll give you the dragonball thingy."  
  
Roshi looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Do you know how valuable that is? I have a set and it took me years to find one within my price range!"  
  
The pig smirked. "I know. No collection, no dragonball. That's the deal."  
  
"Where do you expect us to find it?" the old man asked. "Is a little bird supposed to drop it from the sky or something?"  
  
"There's a man in town that goes by the name of Korekuta Waihon. He has what I want displayed in his shop, but won't sell to me. If you trade with him, I'm sure he'll let it go. Tell him that Oolong sent you and you won't be cheated."  
  
"Why can't you just do this yourself?" Yamucha asked. "You seem to be on such good terms with this Korekuta after all."  
  
Oolong shook his head. "I can't find what he wants. No vintage kimono for his wife, no Hot Girls Gold."  
  
"We'll be back by the end of the day," Goku told him as he ran up the road. "Come on, guys! We've go work to do!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] = Fortune-teller Baba


	6. Chapter 6

_The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found_  
Chapter 6

The kimono was found in a clothing shop on the west side. They didn't have enough money to buy it so they offered to trade. The woman who ran the shop told them that she wanted a fourteen carat diamond ring. Yamucha and Roshi sighed when she named her request, but Goku took it in stride.  
  
"To the jewelry store!" he said as he started on his way down the street. He looked at it as a new kind of adventure.  
  
Eventually they were able to acquire everything everyone wanted. The baker's little girl had wanted a limited edition watch featuring her favorite comic book super heroine, Justice Girl. Neither Goku, Yamucha, nor Roshi had known where to find such an item since all of the stores seemed to be sold out. One salesman had even laughed when they'd asked him did he have one in stock. It turned out, when they met back up with Buruma and Pu'ar for lunch, the teenage girl had one in her backpack. She loved Justice Girl just as much as the ten-year-old (mostly because she was one of the only female superheroes in existence), but was willing to part with it to obtain Oolong's dragonball. After all, her father had connections. She could easily get another one.  
  
The two-dozen raspberry muffins were given to a man who had a valuable painting in his possession. He had a weakness for the widow's freshly baked muffins, but she disliked him so much that she refused to sell him any. In fact, she refused to even sell them to anyone who was even *considering* giving him one! As a bonus, Goku managed to get the recipe for the culinary delights and included it with his trade.  
  
"Oh, thank you!" the rotund man with the balding head had said as he gave Goku a hug he wouldn't soon forget. "I've dreamt about these muffins for months!"  
  
The jeweler's grandmother had painted a portrait of her sister half a century ago, but it had been sold by the woman when her daughter needed money to pay off her son-in-law's gambling debts. A few months ago, the granddaughter had discovered that a family on the east side, who'd just moved in a few weeks before, had purchased it at an auction in London. The young woman wanted the painting she remembered so fondly from childhood, but just didn't see how she could pay the amount the man wanted for it.  
  
That's where Goku and Company had come in.  
  
After trading the portrait for the ring, the ring for the kimono, and the kimono for the dirty magazines they were finally able to trade for the dragonball.  
  
"Only one more," Goku said as he found himself contemplating the five-star ball. "I'm close."  
  
Back on the street where Buruma had landed (and was partially blocking traffic), the girls were already waiting. A heated debate began. Did they travel onward in search of the last dragonball or did they wait and stay over at a nice hotel? Buruma was firmly on the side of spending the night in town... until she saw the look on Goku's face, that is. It was so pathetic that she just couldn't say no to him.  
  
"Alright, kid. We can leave tonight."  
  
He grinned and hugged her around the waist. "You're a great tomodachi, Buruma."  
  
Just as they were boarding the plane, Oolong came running up the street. "I made up my mind; I'm coming with you."  
  
Buruma's brow knit. "I don't even remember *meeting* you!"  
  
Bowing, he said, "Konnichi-wa, my name's Oolong. Pleased to meet you."  
  
"Come on," she sighed, giving in. "But if you give me any problems you're out, understand?"  
  
"Perfectly."  
  
Acting as co-pilot and navigator, Goku directed her back towards her own hometown. Flying past the large city, they found themselves directly on course for Fire Mountain.  
  
"Why is it called that?" Pu'ar asked, her high-pitched voice conveyed deep curiosity. As they neared the mountain, she found the answer to her question. "Nevermind."  
  
Fire Mountain, like its named suggested, was on fire.  
  
At the peak there was a grand castle surrounded by tall, brightly glowing flames that reached merrily towards the sky. In the darkness it was easy to see how hot the fire burned and how next-to-impossible it would be to put out with mere buckets of water.  
  
"The fire is protection for the people of the castle," Kamesennin told them. Then he squinted and looked downward to the ground. "Unfortunately, I think their own fortification is working against them."  
  
Upon landing, they were approached by two very odd people. The man was easy both three times as tall and as wide as an ordinary man who wore a horned helmet-mask and a bright red cape. A scruffy beard covered his wide mouth that was currently turned downward in a scowl. The little girl wore a helmet with a sharp blade in its center, a blue leotard, and a matching red cape fastened at her shoulders.  
  
"Why are you here? This is my papa's land!" the little girl, who didn't look even remotely like her father, said as they stepped from the plane. She narrowed her blue eyes. "Go away!"  
  
"You heard her," the giant said, still surveying his castle. He silently cursed himself for being so stupid. "We have no time to waste with you."  
  
Roshi cleared his throat pointedly. "Is that any way to talk to your sensei?"  
  
The giant tensed and slowly turned around. "My.... sensei?" He faced the old man with a surprised look on his face. "Muten Roshi! What are you doing out here?"  
  
"The same could be asked of you, Gyuu Mao. Especially when you have such a nice home."  
  
"Oh, Muten. This is all my fault!" He groaned and shook his head. "ChiChi and I went into town yesterday to pick up a few things. I'm afraid that I had a bit too much to drink--"  
  
"Try *way* too much to drink," his daughter interjected with a smirk.  
  
"--while spending time with an old friend. When morning came, and we returned to our castle, I couldn't remember the command to temporarily remove the flames so that we could enter our home. ChiChi has never known it because I didn't want anyone to kidnap her so that they could pull it from her by force. I had to protect my little girl."  
  
"And now we've been stuck outside for an entire day, Papa." she said. "I want to be able to get to my room!"  
  
"I know, ChiChi-chan. Gomen nasai." He turned to Kamesennin. "Do you still have the magical artifact that can put out any fire?"  
  
A head shake. "Iie. I lost it years ago. I do, however, have something just as good." He handed Gyuu Mao his staff and flexed his hands. "Allow me to help you."  
  
"Of course."  
  
The old man spread his legs to brace himself and dropped his arms to his left side, fingers slightly curved. Concentrating on the fire, he focused energy into the palms of his hands. "Ka...me..." A round blue ball of ki began to glow in his hands. It became brighter and brighter even as it grew larger and larger. Everyone watched, fascinated. Goku in particular. "Ha...Me...HA!"  
  
He brought his hands in front of his body and aimed his energy at the flames surrounding the castle. The beam went up the side of the mountain and the entire area was suddenly awash in a brilliant blue light. They all shielded their hands against the glare and, when they opened their eyes, the flames were completely gone.  
  
"Oh, wow!" ChiChi gasped. She quickly ran over to hug Roshi. "Domo arigatou!"  
  
Gyuu Mao bowed to Roshi then took his daughter's hand. "Let's go home."  
  
A beeping sound drew their attention to Buruma. "Wait a sec. I think you have a dragonball up there," she said. "Can we have it? Onegai?"  
  
"For all of Kamesennin's help, I will gladly give it to you with his consent. ChiChi will retrieve it from her room once we return to our home."  
  
"Muten Roshi? Was it like this?" Goku asked suddenly. He'd been concentrating on his memories so hard that the entire conversation had gone in one ear and straight out of the other. He mimicked Roshi's stance. "Ka...me...Ha...me...HA!" His Kamehameha Wave was weak, but still dropped the jaws of his audience. "How was that?"  
  
It took a moment for the old man to gather enough wits to answer. "Amazing," he said. "You are to become my student."  
  
Goku cheered. "Great! I know I'll learn a lot from you, Kamesennin."  
  
During the walk up the mountain path, ChiChi dropped back to walk with Goku. "I really liked when you made that glowing thing," she said shyly, her face a brilliant scarlet. She struggled for words for a moment then suddenly blurted. "Will you marry me?"  
  
Not really understanding the question, but hating to disappoint someone he'd just met, he nodded. "Sure."  
  
Eyes wide as saucers, she squealed in glee. "REALLY?! One day I'll get to be your wife! Yay!"  
  
The word "wife" struck a strange chord within him. He had a feeling that he'd just made one of the biggest mistakes of his life.  
  


***

  
After turning down a free meal to make use of the dragonballs, Goku went back to the clearing at the base of the mountain and placed the orbs down in a circle. He turned to Buruma with a question in his eyes.  
  
"What do we do, now?" he asked.  
  
Buruma watched the orbs; they had begun to glow the moment all seven of them were placed in close proximity of each other. "Call the dragon. Arise, Shenron, and grant our wish!"  
  
The sky turned even darker as thick clouds obscured the moonlight. Thin forks of lightning streaked across the sky and a fierce wind picked up. Goku was just about to mention that the weather didn't look very friendly when a long, glowing, serpentine form materialized and eventually turned into a green-scaled dragon with antlers.  
  
"Speak your wish," he commanded in a deep, booming voice.  
  
"I want my jiisan to be brought back to life," Goku told him.  
  
The dragon's eyes glowed a brighter red. Everyone looked up at him in suspense, the breath caught in their throats. "That wish cannot be granted."  
  
"Why not?!" Goku asked, a stricken look crossing his face. Tears pooled in the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill.  
  
"There are forces at work preventing me from retrieving the soul of Son Gohan. Choose another wish."  
  
He collapsed on the ground, head bowed and fingers clawing at the earth. How could this happen? It wasn't supposed to be this way!  
  
"Goku, what do you want to wish for?" Buruma asked softly as Shenron shifted in impatience.  
  
Not hearing her words, the boy sobbed quietly. He would never see his beloved grandfather again... at least not until he died.  
  
"Speak your wish or, if you do not have another, release me from this mortal plane so that I may return to my slumber."  
  
"I wish," he choked out, his voice thick with unshed tears, "I wish that I can be allowed to keep the four-star dragonball to remember my jiisan by even after someone makes a wish."  
  
Shenron's eyes flashed brightly once again. "Your wish is granted." He returned to his glowing state and vanished as the dragonballs reappeared. Six of them flew off to remote corners of the world while one, the four-star, dropped down to land beside Goku's knees.  
  
For a moment no one spoke. Awkward, uncomfortable looks were shared amongst his friends. Then Buruma stepped forward and crouched down next to the now silent boy. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.  
  
He turned to look at her, no long crying, but still very sad. "He's gone for good," Goku said in a hollow voice. "If the Eternal Dragon can't bring him back then no one can." That was a point no one could argue with.  
  
"You'll feel sad about this for the rest of your life, but you'll be able to handle it after a while. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but someday."  
  
"I hope so," he sighed.  
  
Having done and said all that she could, Buruma left him alone. Her heart was breaking for her friend, but she had no idea what else to do for him.  
  
Roshi, surprisingly, was the one to take charge of the situation. "What do you want to do, Goku? Go back home or allow me to train you?"  
  
"If I go back to Heiwa," the boy said slowly, "then this will be the only thing I would think about. I'll go with you, Kamesennin. At least training will give me something to do." He stared at the dragonball in his hands for a moment and then faced everyone with a false smile on his face. "Let's go."  
  


***

  
He was more than a little surprised when his grandfather's dragonball turned into an ordinary-looking stone. Staring at it in disbelief, he called to Buruma, "Was this supposed to happen?"  
  
The girl glanced back at him briefly and nodded. "After you call the dragon the dragonballs go dead for a year so that they can recharge whether you make a wish or not. It takes a lot of energy to call Shenron."  
  
"Oh," he said quietly. "I thought something bad had happened to jiisan's dragonball." He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, resting the dormant dragonball between.  
  
The ride back to Kame Island was spent in uncomfortable silence. They were all sad for Goku's loss, but had no idea what to say or how to comfort him. It was awkward and more than a little intimidating.  
  
By late afternoon, they were crossing the ocean and could see the approaching island in the distance. Upon landing, Umigame came out of the house and waved his uninjured flipper.  
  
"You're back!" he greeted as Roshi and Goku disembarked from the plane. The old man gave him a smile, but the boy only stared at the stone. When Buruma and the others took off, he waved distractedly and went into the house.  
  
"What happened?" Umigame asked in a hushed voice. He'd never seen Goku look so miserable.  
  
"It's a long story. Let's just say that his wish didn't come true." He yawned, still tired. It was uncomfortable sleeping on the plane. "I'll tell you all about our trip sometime tomorrow. Right now, I'm going to get a little sleep."  
  
The sea turtle nodded. "Alright. Have a good rest, Kamesennin. I'll see you in the morning."  
  
They went inside to find Goku sitting quietly on the sofa. "I'll be better tomorrow, Muten," he said. "I promise."  
  
"This isn't something you overcome in just a single day. It may take months or even years, but-" He made sure that he had the boy's complete attention before continuing. "-dwelling on it is useless. You will only make yourself feel worse."  
  
"I understand." He set the stone on the coffee table and curled up on the sofa. "See you tomorrow."  
  
Roshi was still worried about him, but he knew that the grief was something he would have to deal with on his own.


	7. Chapter 7

_The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found_  
Chapter 7

They had a visitor bright and early the following morning. Goku was rummaging through the fridge for something to eat while Roshi was using the bathroom.  
  
"Ohayo! Is anyone home?" a voice he didn't recognize called from the porch. Goku opened the door and stared at the small bald boy standing on the stoop.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
The other boy frowned. "It's not very nice to question someone without at least greeting them first."  
  
"Oh. Ohayo; who are you?"  
  
"I'm Kuririn. Is the great Kamesennin Muten Roshi around? I want to train with him." the slightly smaller boy peered around Goku's body into the house. "I've also brought a gift."  
  
He motioned for him to come inside. "He's busy, but you can wait for him." Goku shut the door and went back into the kitchen.  
  
The toilet flushed, water ran, and Roshi emerged with a relieved look on his face. "Nothing like taking care of business first thing in the morning." He then turned and noticed the stranger sitting on his couch. "Er," he said, slightly embarrassed, "may I help you?"  
  
"Are you Kamesennin Muten Roshi?" Kuririn asked. When the old man nodded, the boy leapt to his feet and practically ran over to shake his hand. "I am so very honored to meet you! It's my greatest desire that you train me in martial arts."  
  
"Oh, I don't know," Roshi pretended to think. "I'm getting on in years and I don't have the energy that I used to..."  
  
A cloth-wrapped parcel was nearly shoved in his face. "This gift is for you," he said as Roshi untied the knot. A lecherous grin spread across his face at the sight of the swimsuit magazines. "I hope these will encourage you to change your mind."  
  
"Goku!" he called. "We'll be having another student from now on!"  
  
After breakfast, Muten Roshi sent the boys off to a store several towns away. Goku had no idea what it was all about, but Kuririn knew perfectly. "He wants to be alone with his brand new goodies," the boy snickered. Still not understanding, Goku shrugged and called for his cloud.  
  
"Kinto'un!"  
  
"Uh, what is this?" Kuririn asked as he examined the puffy yellow cloud from all angles. "What is it for?"  
  
"It's a flying cloud. We're gonna ride it over the ocean." Goku jumped up and sat cross-legged. "C'mon, Kuririn."  
  
The other boy tentatively touched it and, finding nothing wrong, he climbed up to sit behind Goku. Unfortunately, Kinto'un would not let him ride and he fell straight through to the sand below. "What happened? What did I do wrong?"  
  
Goku shook his head. "You don't have a pure heart. Are you hiding something?"  
  
Sighing, he pulled two more magazines from underneath his yellow tunic and gave them to Roshi. "Since you were happy with what I gave you, I was going to take these back to the store and get a refund. Gomen nasai, Muten."  
  
"You are forgiven," the old man said as he clutched them to his chest in glee. He felt as if both Christmas and his birthday had come early that year. "Can you find me a pretty lady for companionship? It's lonely sometimes without another adult human to talk to."  
  
Smirking, Kuririn nodded. "Of course, Kamesennin. You deserve it." This time, when he hopped onto Kinto'un, the cloud stayed solid. He waved goodbye to his new sensei and found himself clutching Goku tightly when the cloud shot off at a very high speed.  
  
"So," Goku shouted above the roaring of the wind, "how old are you? Where'd you come from?"  
  
"I'm thirteen and I used to live in a monastery." Kuririn frowned as he remembered his life there. "The other monks used to pick on me all the time because I'm smaller and weaker than they are. I heard about Kamesennin and decided to go to his house and ask if he would train me. I want to be stronger than those bullies so they can't push me around anymore." He fell silent for a moment. "So, um, why is he training you?"  
  
"He asked me."  
  
When nothing more was forthcoming, Kuririn shrugged and fell silent.  
  
In an hour's time they were nearing the small fishing town that Roshi had sent them to. The small dock was overly crowded with boats and people whose mass quantities of caught fish emanated an odor so strong that it permeated the air no matter where you went. Tiny one-or-two room huts sat too close upon the dusty ground, creating a twisty maze of narrow lanes. Goku landed expertly in the first available open area and the two boys looked over the shopping list. "I don't even know what most of this stuff is! How are we supposed to find it?"  
  
"Pickled toadstools, snail slime, fish scales..." Kuririn shook his head. "It sounds like he's making some kind of weird potion."  
  
A thought struck Goku. "Maybe this is for his sister. Baba's a little strange."  
  
"What does she do?"  
  
"Reads fortunes, but she dresses like a witch."  
  
"Ah."  
  
To finish their task sooner, the two boys split the list and went off in opposite directions. Kuririn went down to the docks, because a lot of the items listed were sea related, while Goku went off to the small open-air market. He was there for less than five minutes when a loud group of people made their presence known. Thinking quickly, he pressed himself behind the thick support column of a stall.  
  
"Alright, this is how we're gonna do this," a blond woman said while pointing her gun at various shopkeepers. "If you hand over your money, no one will get hurt."  
  
A man spoke up from his food cart and the men behind the woman laughed at his foolish bravery. "My family worked hard for this! I'm not giving anything I own over to thugs like you!" There was a crack of gunfire and his hand shot up to clutch at his arm.  
  
"Did that change your mind?" she asked with a smirk on her face. The man nodded and told his terrified son to hand over the money from the cashbox. The head thief motioned for her people to go around collecting the life savings of the shopkeepers.  
  
Goku frowned as the gang robbed all the innocent people, watching for the right moment to act. He waited until the majority of the thugs were walking past his hiding place before attacking them. Two were down before they'd realized what hit them, but the other six were more competent at defending themselves.  
  
The woman frowned at the commotion and frowned even harder when she spotted the child. "You're holding me up," she said with annoyance. "Get out of my way."  
  
"I can't let you do this to them," he told her. "It's not right. Why should you make money from their hard work?"  
  
"I don't have time for this," she muttered to herself. The woman turned her back to him and told her underlings, "Kill him." The men smirked and all rushed him at once.  
  
"None of you are the leader," he said as he punched one man in the jaw and kicked the other in the stomach. He slid aside as another tried to grab him and twined his tail around another's feet to trip him to the pavement. The one that stumbled fell into one of the others and they both went down in a tangle of arms and legs. The remaining two thugs exchanged glances and ran off in the direction their leader had gone.  
  
"Lunch-sama! Lunch-sama!"  
  
Goku debated chasing after them and decided against it. They were only subordinates, after all; no one special. He ran over to the man who'd been shot and examined his arm. "The bullet went straight through." He tore off a strip of fabric from the bottom of his gi top and tied it around his arm. "This'll stop the bleeding, but you need to see a doctor."  
  
"Domo arigatou," he said gratefully. His son bowed in thanks and helped his father down the street.  
  
Once the square was tidy, Goku promised the shopkeepers that he'd return their profits. He waved goodbye and ran off down the street in the direction that Lunch had gone.  
  


***

  
"Gomen nasai, Nobuyoki-sama," Lunch apologized while gritting her teeth. She utterly despised her current employer, as she had all her employers. It was always "do it this way" and "do it now" with them; she never got a chance to just be herself. When she got enough money together, though, things were going to be different. She would be the one running things for a change.  
  
A tall man with long dark green hair, the only other occupant of the room, stared at her seriously. "What are you going to do to rectify this?"  
  
She rose from where she had been kneeling and frowned. "I got money for you. What more do you want?" Before she could blink, the palm of Nobuyoki's hand caught her across the cheek in an open-handed slap. Lunch reflexively touched her face.  
  
"Watch who you're speaking to!" he shouted. Then, as if a switch had been thrown, he smiled pleasantly at her as he sat back down. "It isn't nearly enough, Lunch-chan. The Anei Samurai are destined for big things."  
  
"I still don't see how one kid could stop you from doing whatever it is you want to do."  
  
"That's because you don't know him." His knuckles turned white as he clenched the arms of the chair. "Heiwa is a small town, but it is very prosperous. That little brat single-handedly took out many of my men there before you joined up with us. I want him dead!"  
  
She bowed her head briefly. "As you wish, Nobuyoki-sama."  
  
Lunch let herself out of the leader's hotel room and made her way to her own. After this mission, she wouldn't be with them for very much longer. Nobuyoki had struck her one time too many.  
  
The two-star inn was a far cry from the grand mansion that Nobuyoki had grown up in... and later inherited. There were rumors whispered amongst his followers that thirteen-year-old Nobuyoki had been found slitting the throats of his sleeping mother and father. While many doubted the validity of these rumors, Lunch knew them to be absolutely true. There was no doubt in her mind that he was capable of such cold-blooded murder. In fact, that was what had drawn her to him in the first place. He was a man who got the job done quickly and without worrying about the consequences of his actions.  
  
Her latest mission didn't excite her in the least. In fact, it sounded remarkably boring. Find one little boy and kill him. That was it. There was no espionage, no gun fights, and no theft. She supposed that she could get a kick out of the actual murder but, despite Nobuyoki's words, how difficult could it be to kill a kid?  
  


***

  
Goku was asking around about the location of the bad guys' hideout when Kuririn caught up to him. He was carrying a large bag and the list had several scratched off items. "Oi, Goku! Do you know what's going on? I heard from some fisherman that something happened in town."  
  
"Yeah, a lot of people down there got robbed. I'm going to get their money back for them. You wanna come?"  
  
The boy thought about it for a second. "Will there be fighting?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Then count me in. I need all the practice I can get."  
  
From an older woman they discovered that the gang was staying in a local hotel. They'd rented out all the best rooms and were worrying the owner. He was afraid that his rooms would be completely destroyed by the time they checked out. Already, the maids were reporting that two chairs had been turned into kindling.  
  
The two boys approached the hotel from the east just as Lunch was exiting the building. She didn't notice them, at first. Goku cleared his throat right as she was going past them. "Excuse me."  
  
"Huh?" she looked around in confusion. "Someone say something?"  
  
Goku tugged on the bottom of her shirt. "Down here."  
  
Her green eyes widened when she recognized him. "You!" Her gun was out before he could even blink. Kuririn yelled, "She's got a gun!" and ducked, hands covering his head. Goku didn't move an inch.  
  
"You have something that I want," he said.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Hai. Give me the money you stole from those people or--" He then proceeded to take a defensive stance. "--I'll take it back."  
  
Lunch started to laugh so hard that tears fell from her eyes and she bent over double. "*You* take something back from *me*? Come on!"  
  
"I mean it!" he said, a little annoyed that he wasn't being taken seriously.  
  
Her eyes narrowed when she realized that he was one-hundred percent serious. "Look, you're all that's stopping me from getting away from this idiotic operation. Stand still so I can shoot you." She re-aimed and pulled the trigger.  
  
The sound of the bullet being discharged caused Kuririn to shriek reflexively. He turned to the spot where the other boy had been and blinked when there was no one there. "Nani?"  
  
"Where did you go?!" Lunch asked angrily. She felt a light tap on her shoulder and spun around.  
  
"Behind you!" Goku laughed. Gripping her shoulder for leverage, he used his right foot to kick the gun from the stunned woman's hand. It flew across the street and into a clump of bushes. Following through with his motion, he landed gracefully onto the ground. Goku paused a moment to consider something thoughtfully. "You know, I feel a lot better. Maybe all I needed was a good fight."  
  
"How-how....?"  
  
He shrugged. "I just moved out of the way. Are you going to give me back the money now?"  
  
"I don't have it." Lunch turned around and looked distressingly at the hotel. "I gave it to the boss."  
  
"Okay, so I'll just get it from him." He looked at her as if noticing her appearance for the first time. "Could you not leave town? I want to talk to you later."  
  
"Huh? Oh, sure. Whatever." She watched him and Kuririn enter the building with a stunned look on her face. "I guess he was right about him. Who knew that a kid could be so skilled?"  
  


***

  
"Excuse me," Goku asked the man behind the front desk. He smiled when the owner looked over at him. "Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Hai, what is it?"  
  
"Which room is the 'boss' in?"  
  
He knew of only one man they called boss. His brows drew together in a frown as he studied the two boys. "Why do you want to know?"  
  
"Have you heard about what happened in town today? He sent some people out there to rob everyone. I'm here to get their money back."  
  
The man examined his face for a moment and, seeing truth and determination there, and then nodded. "Alright. The room number is 206."  
  
"Arigatou," he took the stairs two at a time.  
  
"Can you hold this for me?" he heard Kuririn ask. "It's for my master. Domo arigatou."  
  
No one was in the hallway on the second floor and Goku found that extremely odd. Usually important people had a lot of other people protecting them... unless they could do it themselves, that is. He smiled widely at the thought of getting into a fight with someone very skilled at martial arts. It would be a pleasant change from the fighters he'd been encountering lately.  
  
"I'm going in. Can you stay out here and watch for bad guys?"  
  
Kuririn looked a little nervous at the idea. "Um, I think so. If you hear me scream, you better come running!"  
  
"I will," he promised. Goku turned the doorknob experimentally and was surprised to find it unlocked. Did that mean the boss was a confident man, or just a careless one? No matter the reason, he knew to be on guard.  
  
Goku stepped over the threshold, keeping his body low to the ground, and smirked to himself when the boss' fist missed him completely, moving far above his head in a rush of displaced air. He stood up and caught him right in the abdomen with his head. "You aimed too high," he said before pushing up with his hands. Nobuyoki was flipped over onto his back where he didn't remain for long. Goku, not expecting him to recover so quickly, was grabbed from behind in a bear hug.  
  
"I have you now," Nobuyoki whispered into his ear. "You aren't getting away with what you done to me before!"  
  
"What did I do?" he asked, confused. He didn't even remember meeting the boss before that day.  
  
"Remember a certain little town where you stopped my people from robbing a bank?" he growled. "All that money, gone just like that!"  
  
He thought back and tried to remember a bank robbery. Then it hit him. Asako had been kidnapped and he saved her. "Heiwa! There was a bank robbery there back when jiisan was alive." His voice wavered just a little when he mentioned his grandfather. Then the full import of his realization hit him. "You mean *you* were the one behind it all?"  
  
"Of course. It was the perfect crime, kid. The perfect crime." He exerted more force and squeezed him harder. Goku grunted at the pressure. "I'm going to crush every bone in your tiny body for that!"  
  
Goku didn't hear him. His mind was still focused on the words, 'Of course.' A fierce anger rose up in him, one that made him see red. "You kidnapped my friend and made her cry!" He strained against the strong arms holding him. "Let me go!"  
  
Nobuyoki laughed. "Do you think I'm stupid? I know how strong you are, kid. If I let you go, you won't hesitate to kick my ass."  
  
"Unless you're going to stand here all night, I'm going to get free eventually." He turned his head to regard his capturer and the man shivered at the hard look in his eyes. "And when I do, you better watch out."  
  
There was nothing but silence for a few moments as the boss tried to regain his composure. He tried to laugh off the boy's threat, but it came out more as a squeak. Angry at himself for letting Goku get to him, he went over to a chair and pushed the boy into it. "You're staying put until I have time to deal with you. I've decided that killing you outright would be too merciful. You deserve to be tortured a little." Nobuyoki then grabbed a long coil of strong rope and tied his captive firmly to the sole remaining chair in the room.  
  
Goku glared at him wordlessly, an action that caused Nobuyoki to flinch slightly. Then, as if to prove that he wasn't afraid, he took his hand and backhanded him hard across the face. Goku's head turned with the blow, but his dark eyes returned to stare at the boss' face. A small trickle of blood ran from his lip where it had been cut open by a ring, but it was the only wound he'd received. Nobuyoki walked backwards from the room, unwilling to turn his back on the boy. His mind, logically, knew that he was immobile and, therefore, harmless. His gut told him otherwise.  
  
"I can't let him get free," he whispered to himself once he'd reached the door. "If he does, I'm going to die."


	8. Chapter 8

_The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found_  
Chapter 8

Night fell silently and the city grew still. Nobuyoki hadn't returned for several hours (though a few followers had run in and out bringing bags of valuables and money). Each one had stopped to sneer at the captive, but none were brave enough to get very close. So, they placed their loot just inside the door and departed as quickly as they'd come.  
  
Goku entertained himself by counting the stars he could see outside from his position and then, when he'd finished doing that, he started to mentally count sheep. It was boring work that made him drowsy and his growing hunger only made it worse. He wished that the boss would return soon so that he could get what he'd come for.  
  
That was one important thing he'd discovered since being tied to the chair: there was a locked metal box atop the dresser. Since Goku could see no money other than what had been brought in later, he assumed that the merchants' livelihoods were inside. It was doubtful that Nobuyoki had left the key behind, so he was forced to wait uncomfortably until he showed up again.  
  
The door opened finally at midnight and Nobuyoki stumbled through. He tried three times to shut the door, finally succeeding when he tripped and fell against it. Never very bright when it came to common sense, he figured that his knots were superior enough to hold Goku in place for as long as he desired. He laughed to himself and began to sing drunkenly on his way to the bathroom.  
  
 _"I've been a hard drinker for many a year,_  
And I always fall over on ten pints of beer,  
So now when I drink, I sit on the floor,  
And I never will risk falling over no more." [1]  
  
The door was shut, cutting off any further verses. Goku wrinkled his nose disgustedly, and settled down to wait once more.  
  
Ten minutes passed, then twenty. After thirty minutes, Goku grew so frustrated that he flexed his arms and snapped the rope. He stood up and sighed as the feeling returned to several areas of his body. "That was boring," he commented to himself. "I wonder what's taking him so long in there."  
  
He turned the doorknob and shook his head when he found it unlocked. Peeking carefully around the door, he saw Nobuyoki slumped over the toilet. Eyebrows raised, he went over and poked him. "Hey, are you still alive?" A snort was his only answer. "Guess so. Must've passed out."  
  
A silver key caught his attention as it glittered in the overhead fluorescent lighting. He just knew that the key went to the locked box and carefully liberated it from its owner. Tail waving behind him in a reflection of his pleasure, he went back to complete his mission. He inserted the key into the lock and had to snatch his hand away as a bullet came very close to embedding itself within it. "Nani?" he spun around to face a very miserable Nobuyoki.  
  
"I am *not* in a good mood right now! I suggest that you get your ass right back over there and retie my knots before I get really angry."  
  
He pretended to think for a moment. "How about not?" Goku then lifted the small strongbox and dashed for the door. Bullets impacted around him, the man's aim still very good despite the substantial amount of liquor he'd drunk. He remembered the bags beside the door and figured that it would be a good idea to take them along as well. Dropping the box for a moment, he grabbed a nearby potted plant and hurled it at his pursuer. Nobuyoki actually dropped his gun to catch the plant and that gave Goku the time needed to pick up everything and escape out the door. He sprinted down the hall and around a corner, pausing to listen for signs of pursuit. "Made it," he said with a smile.  
  
"Why did you take so long in there?" a voice asked on his right. Goku jumped and spun around the confront the newcomer.  
  
"Kuririn?! Don't do that to me!"  
  
"Gomen nasai." He looked curiously at the other boy's tense expression. "Did you get what you came for?"  
  
"Hai, but now the boss is after me." He peered around the corner and, after seeing that the coast was clear, he headed towards the stairs. The two of them ran as fast as they could away from the hotel and didn't stop until they'd made it all the way to the market square.  
  


***

  
"Do you think she stayed?" Goku asked his friend.  
  
Kuririn shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe she was curious enough to wait on you to show up." He suddenly smiled knowingly. "Are you going to take her back to Roshi-sama?"  
  
"Hai. She's pretty and she's a lady. Sort of. I wonder if he'll care that she's not very ladylike."  
  
He started snickering. "Oh, he won't care. She's female and would look good in a bathing suit; that's all that matters."  
  
It was very hot just like the day before. At ten in the morning, people were already miserably fanning themselves with anything handy as they trudged onward to complete their business. No children ran around outside; it was too hot even for play. Most of them remained inside in front of electric fans or asleep beneath the shade of a large tree. Goku and Kuririn were just about the only children around.  
  
"How will we find her?" the bald boy asked. "You didn't tell her where to wait."  
  
"Well, there's only one way out of town, right? She's probably there."  
  
The town was surrounded by a tall stone wall that had successfully kept out would-be invaders and wild animals for many years. The entrance was guarded around the clock by well-trained guards, but there were other ways inside the walls.  
  
Leaning in the shadows was Lunch. There was a backpack by her feet and a gun strapped to each thigh. She nodded to them and pushed herself upright. "Took you long enough. Why am I here?"  
  
"Kamesennin sent us here for some things," Goku explained, "and he said to watch out for pretty girls."  
  
"You're pretty," the bald boy finished. "So we want you to come back with us."  
  
She stared at them for a moment in complete silence before bursting into hysterical laughter. Both boys' faces fell -- they were sure that her humor meant that she was going to turn them down -- but Lunch surprised them by grabbing her back and moving towards them. "Why not? It's not like I have anything else to do." Visions of priceless valuables and handsome young men danced in her head. She had no idea what to expect, but that didn't stop her from hoping for the best.  
  
They left the city and walked along the coast. Goku cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to the sky, "Kinto'un!" The yellow cloud immediately answered his call but, as he studied it, he knew that there was room for only two.  
  
"Do you have something to cross the ocean in?" he asked Lunch. She pulled a capsule from her pocket with a smile. "My friend Buruma had one of those!" the boy said.  
  
"Oh yeah? A lot of people have them." She tossed it out and a green hovercar appeared in a puff of smoke. As she hopped in she said, "Lead the way."  
  
The flying car and the flying cloud both created wakes in the salty water as they headed to Roshi's small island home. Kuririn clung to Goku's back in terror much the same way he'd done before, eyes clenched shut and silently praying to Kami. The younger boy, on the other hand, was looking forward to training with the infamous Kamesennin Muten Roshi, even though he hadn't known who he was until four days ago. The depression that had hung over his head like a dark, ominous cloud since the moment Shenron had destroyed his hope of ever seeing his grandfather alive again was slowly fading. He would never completely get over it, but now knew that the burden was truly capable of being borne.  
  
They arrived around lunchtime and Goku's stomach was more-than-ready for a meal. He hopped down from Kinto'un onto the sand and then turned to help Kuririn down. His hears twitched when he heard an unfamiliar sound... and it was coming from inside the house.  
  
"What's that?" he asked no one in particular as he walked toward the front door. "Sounds kinda like someone's in pain."  
  
Kuririn and Lunch both froze when he said those words and exchanged knowing looks. "Uh, Goku, maybe you shouldn't go in there..." The other boy trailed off and blushed deeply. He had a feeling he knew exactly why his new master was making such sounds. The images the knowledge created turned his stomach.  
  
Goku knocked on the door before opening it. "Kamesennin! We're back!" There was no response, but he faintly heard more sounds that, this time, resembled grunting. He was halfway inside when both Kuririn and Lunch grabbed him and dragged him back onto the beach. "What are you doing?"  
  
"A man deserves a little privacy sometimes," Kuririn proclaimed as he fought to keep the disturbing thoughts from his head.  
  
"We were gone all night; isn't that enough privacy?" He scratched his head. "I don't understand."  
  
Lunch sat down against a palm tree and smirked. "Well, that's obvious. Maybe you're just too young."  
  
The front door opened and an uncomfortable Roshi beckoned them inside. He didn't notice Lunch until she had crossed the threshold. "Well, hello," he said with a smile he hoped was charming. "What's your name?"  
  
"Lunch," she replied with a frown. "Goku, Kuririn, can I speak to you two for a moment?"  
  
"Sure," Goku said. She pulled them outside.  
  
"Who is that?"  
  
"Kamesennin."  
  
She turned to look at the old man and paled. "That ancient hentai is the one who sent you to find pretty girls? He's disgusting!"  
  
Kuririn sighed. "I had a feeling you were going to say that. Can you at least stick around for a little while? Getting a girl was our first official task as his students."  
  
"I guess I will, but if he touches me I'm going to kick his ass." She glared at them, the cold expression causing Kuririn to shiver, before reentering the house.  
  


***

  
The months passed quickly for the two boys. Lunch settled in, pleased to have free room and board, and they were able to discover that she had a curse placed upon her. Whenever she sneezed, the intimidating blonde Lunch turned into a very sweet blue-haired girl. Roshi, who had incurred Lunch's wrath more than once during her stay, found that it was easier to spy on the kinder version.  
  
They'd gotten up before dawn the next morning after Lunch had decided to stay on Kame Island, before the sun had even begun to rise, to deliver milk to the people on the mainland. Not only were the recipients spread out far apart, but they had to run the entire way.  
  
After the delivery, they had to help a farmer with his daily work on even numbered days. He owned three acres of land and already had fifty people working for him. The boys learned how to cultivate, sow, and later harvest what they'd help to create.  
  
Before going back to the island, they joined a construction crew in building a skyscraper on odd numbered days. The foreman was a little leery about allowing two adolescent boys to work for him... until he saw them in action, that is. He even admitted to Kamesennin that they were probably the hardest workers he'd ever had.  
  
Every night after dinner, but before bedtime, Goku and Kuririn attended class. In Kamesennin's House of Education they learned not only the three "Rs", but also important skills for living. Well, at least they were important to Roshi. Neither boy could see when knowing how to date three women at once would ever come in handy.  
  
Goku had a dream the night after his first day of training. He was back at his grandfather's home in the forest, lying lazily in the grass. So peaceful was he, that squirrels and other small rodents occasionally came close enough to touch. They could sense no evil in the boy.  
  
The front door of the small house creaked open and Gohan's familiar white-whiskered face appeared in the doorway.  _"Little One, it's time for lunch."_  
  
 _"Okay, Jiisan,"_  he said happily. After brushing his clothes free of dirt, he skipped over to his home. Just as he moved to enter it, his entire body froze and his eyes widened.  
  
 _"I shouldn't be here,"_  he said to himself.  _"Jiisan shouldn't be here. He's.... dead."_  
  
As he realized this, the dream world faded as if it had never been. Darkness surrounded him, weighted like stone, but it did not affect him, Goku had never been afraid of the dark. When he refused to cower in terror, the consistency of it changed to that of a comforting woolen blanket. The boy had the impression that he'd successfully passed a test of some sort.  
  
Before he could ponder on this for long, a pale white light appeared in the distance. It moved closer and closer to him on a direct path, bringing sunshine and nature with it. The darkness that the light touched was transformed. The affected area began as a small, three-foot wide circle that spread left and right as far as his eyes could see. Within the healing light was a familiar round silhouette that caused his hopes to soar. Goku stood, rooted in place, as the person drew closer.  
  
 _"Jiisan,"_  he whispered in awe.  _"You came back!"_  
  
The old man took a moment to look over his adopted grandson. He was older than before, and there was a more mature look in his dark eyes, but he was still the same boy. Gohan spread his arms open wide and smiled when Goku immediately threw himself into them.  
  
 _"I miss you so much! I was going to bring you back but Shenron wouldn't let me. Why, Jiisan, why?"_  Warm tears soaked the phantom cloth of Gohan's shirt.  
  
 _"Sometimes, Little One, bad things happen that we have no control over. My early death happened because of your transformation, that's true, but you couldn't have stopped yourself even if you'd tried. I believe that it's a legacy of your true people and not of the ones you've come to live among."_  He gently pried the boy away.  _"Do not mourn for me, Goku, I'm happy in the next life. Instead, remember all the good times we shared together."_  
  
He nodded slowly.  _"Okay, Jiisan. I'll try."_  
  
 _"That's my boy. I look forward to the day we meet again, but try not to let it happen too soon. You're destined for big things."_  He stood silently for a moment, imprinting Goku's image onto his memory, before turning and walking away.  _"Remember what I told you."_  
  
Goku watched him go, the sadness of being alone mingling with the happiness of seeing his grandfather again. He thought back to what Gohan had told him and nodded. _"I have to move on,"_  he told himself.  _"I have to stop mourning."_  
  
 _"Sayonara, Jiisan."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] an excerpt from The Hard Drinker (found on: <http://www.armadillo.net/llewtrah/>)


	9. Chapter 9

_The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found_  
Chapter 9

 _Five years later..._  
  
"Don't let Gohan eat any poisonous berries!" ChiChi shouted as Goku and his three-year-old son, Gohan, flew away on Kinto'un. "And come back on time, for once!"  
  
The young man nodded silently, still slightly unsure of how he promised himself to ChiChi in the first place. Had she preyed upon his lack of knowledge of worldly things? At the time, Goku had no idea what marriage was, but ChiChi, who had developed a crush on him, asked for an arrangement. Seeing how much it meant to her, he'd agreed. At the time, he thought that marriage was just something new to experience sort of like exotic food or a foreign play and Goku always enjoyed discovering new things.  
  
He'd gone through with the ceremony and, three years later, he was still having second thoughts. While he loved his wife and usually enjoyed her company, he just didn't feel as if they fitted perfectly together. In his mind, he compared a happy couple to a jigsaw puzzle. Separately, they were simply lonely pieces while, together, they helped to create a complete picture. ChiChi just didn't fit very well with his half of the small puzzle and he found himself mentally pounding her piece into place more often than not.  
  
While he felt quite strongly about this, it wasn't strong enough to cause him to break her heart. She was a kind woman and a good mother to Gohan.  
  
"T'san, where we go?" Gohan's small voice asked, bringing his father away from his thoughts. He looked down at the boy who he loved with all of his heart and smiled. Gohan deserved two parents and, for him, he would do anything.  
  
"We're going to visit my family. You can't meet Jiisan, but you *can* meet my mother. I think it's important that you two form a relationship early on in your life." ' _Before ChiChi can take away your unconditional acceptance,_ ' he said to himself, ' _before she can make you just like her._ '  
  
It had taken many years for him to find enough courage to return to Meimori. The last time he'd been there, a few of the members of his former pack had driven him away with bared teeth and ominous growling. Goku felt that it was very important for his son to learn about his father's past so, when he felt that he was old enough, he proposed the idea to ChiChi. After much pleading, she finally agreed.  
  
"Not much farther." He was looking forward to seeing his family again.  
  
Meimori hadn't changed much over the years. The tall trees still rose towards the heavens and the ground below was still covered by lush vegetation. Goku thought that the forest was eternal, a constant part of an inconstant world.  
  
"I grew up here," he said. Looking around, he immediately recognized the path he was on; it led directly to where the wolves had made their home in the valley.  
  
Every plant, rock, flower, insect, and animal was something for Gohan to examine and they stopped many times along the way to watch squirrels at play or to pick up interesting-looking rocks. Gohan had quite a collection of things by the time the path merged into the valley and his pockets were filled to the brim.  
  
"It's quiet," the boy observed as the gentle background noise of the forest abruptly ceased. Goku tensed and looked around, not really noticing anything out of place. He knew that *something* was wrong, but just couldn't figure out what. Taking Gohan's hand in his own, they continued on to the cavern.  
  
Standing beside the entrance was an adult gray wolf with luminous yellow eyes who turned to regard him as he approached. Its head raised upward as it sniffed the air. Goku gently moved Gohan behind him as the wolf loped towards them. He'd tensed in preparation for an attack and was more than a little surprised when the animal placed his paws onto his chest and licked his face enthusiastically. Goku took in the familiar smell of the male wolf and something deep inside of him clicked.  
  
"You're my brother," he said in awe. Memories of long days spent playing with the happy little wolf cub flashed through his mind. "I had thought you would have left the pack by now!" He ruffled the fur on top of his head and motioned for Gohan to step forward. "Gohan, this is your ojisan. We played together when we were kids."  
  
The boy gazed at the wolf in a reserved way until he received a rough tongue swipe across his forehead. Then, with a giggle, he proceeded to run his hands through the coarse gray fur.  
  
"You stay here and I'll be back in a minute."  
  
The interior of the cavern was lit dimly by the sunlight outside and deep shadows crowded in the corners. In the back lay the sleeping form of the alpha female that had taken care of him for eight long years. Even from twenty feet away he could tell that she was hurt. A pool of crimson had spread beneath her from the wound in her left hind leg and she occasionally whined softly in pain. Goku immediately went over to her and kneeled beside her body. "What happened?" He knew immediately that I had something to do with the strangeness that surrounded his childhood home.  
  
Upon examining the wound, he realized that there was a bullet embedded in his mother's flesh. Not knowing how to remove it safely, he merely tore a strip of cloth from his shirt and tied it around the wound until he could reach a professional. Sometime during the alpha female had woken and, after a moment of panic, had recognized her long-lost cub by his unique scent. Goku smiled at her and smoothed the fur on her head softly. "Everything will be okay." He sighed. "I know that you can't tell me what happened and I really wish that you could."  
  
As if on cue, the male wolf entered the cavern with Gohan close behind. He nudged the boy over to his grandmother and latched onto Goku's pant leg with his teeth. He tugged insistently and wouldn't stop until Goku followed.  
  
Deep in the valley, where a small river met the edge of northern Meimori, lay the motionless body of a wolf. Goku recognized the male that had warned him away so long ago. Along the tree line bodies lay, all of them with some type of bullet wound. It was becoming clearer to Goku what had happened to his pack: humans.  
  
"You're the only ones that escaped," Goku whispered sadly. "None of you were any match against guns."  
  
A fierce anger rose inside that joined with a growing sense of sadness to create a very unfamiliar feeling of vengeance. He knew that it was wrong and would hurt him badly in the afterlife, but couldn't really bring himself to care very much.  
  
Then he thought about how much such an act would weigh on his subconscious and the feeling quieted. Something had to be done, though. "Take care of Gohan while I'm gone," he told the wolf beside him. The words were coupled with a pointed finger in the direction of the cavern and Goku knew that he was understood when the wolf trotted away.  
  
By following the trail of bodies and the trampled underbrush, Goku found a trail that led directly to a small village. Children played without a care in the world while women worked side-by-side and eased the burden by sharing stories. The men were nowhere to be found.  
  
"Excuse me," he said to a small boy about seven or eight that had been about to enter a small home. "Can I ask you a question?"  
  
Large brown eyes looked up in awe as an adult treated him like an equal for the very first time. He nodded quickly. "Mhm hmm."  
  
"Do you know what happened to the wolf pack in the forest?" Goku watched his facial expression change from delight to misery in under five seconds. The little boy grabbed his arm and pulled him behind another building. After taking the time to check for eavesdroppers, he answered the question.  
  
"You can't talk about that around here, the men get angry." He sniffled slightly. "It's my fault they got killed, Mister. I didn't mean for it to happen!"  
  
Goku tried his best to comfort him. "Wait a minute, you probably didn't have anything to do with it. Whoever fired the guns are the ones to blame."  
  
He rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. "Well, they wouldn'ta have known they were even there without me leadin' them. A few days ago, I was playing in the forest to get away from the older boys and I found a wolf cub. He looked lost, but before I could take him home some older boys found me and started to mess with him. I screamed and yelled at them to stop, but they wouldn't. Then a big wolf came outta nowhere and snapped at 'em. His teeth caught Samo in the rear, too." He smiled slightly at the memory, but it soon faded. "Samo went home and told his pa that a wolf tried to kill him as if he hadn't done nothin' to make him attack! The men all got their guns and went out into the woods together to kill all the wolves before they killed one of the villagers." His eyes pleaded with Goku to believe his next words. "I know that those wolves wouldn't have hurt nobody if those boys hadn't been mean to that cub. Honest!"  
  
"I know," Goku told him. "Thank you for telling me. Where can I find Samo?"  
  
"His house is the biggest one off the square. Are you gonna make him tell the truth? They said they'd beat me up if I told on 'em." He scoffed. "Like the grownups would've believed me anyway."  
  
He understood completely. "It *is* hard to be a child in an adult's world."  
  
"Can you tell me later what happened? I wanna know if he's gonna make things right." Goku promised that he would and the little boy went into his house.  
  
Across the hard-packed dirt of the village square was a large hut with five rooms in the shape of an "X" instead of the usual three in the shape of a "T". It indicated that the people who lived there were somehow more important than everyone else, that they deserved better things. Goku knew immediately that Samo was the son of the village's leader. It definitely complicated things somewhat.  
  
A harried-looking woman answered his knock. She wore a tired look on her face and bounced an incessantly crying baby on her hip. "Can I help you?"  
  
"My name is Son Goku. Can I speak with your son, Samo, for a minute?"  
  
"Why? Did he do something wrong?" she asked with a sigh. "Come in and I'll get him."  
  
It was dark inside and the transition from sunshine to gloom caused Goku to be unable to see for a short time. He stood just inside the doorway blinking for several seconds until the living room came into focus. The floor of the room was covered in woven reed mats and hunting trophies of skin and bone adorned one wall.  
  
The woman motioned to the sitting area. "Please have a seat. I'll send him in a moment." The baby, whose tears had nearly stopped, suddenly erupted into a new round of wailing. His mother flinched and tried to calm him down.  
  
Goku felt extremely sorry for the woman. Living with a perpetually crying baby would drive him insane. Luckily Gohan had usually been quiet. "Allow me," he said as he took the child from her arms. With a few hiccups, the little boy's cries slowly ceased and he blinked up at him with curious eyes. Goku tickled his chin and the baby began to laugh. He saw how tiny teeth were just emerging from his gums. "Oh, he's teething. If you give him a toy to chew on, he won't cry as often."  
  
A slightly offended look crossed her face as she took her son back from him. "Do *you* have a child?" she asked rudely, angry that a stranger would be telling her how to parent.  
  
"Hai. He's three." Goku wasn't the least bit put off by her frown, sensing that the woman was so busy that she hadn't been paying very much attention to her youngest. They stared at each other until Goku looked away and asked, "Samo?"  
  
"I'll get him for you," she said with a satisfied smirk.  
  
He looked around the small room idly as footsteps drew closer to his location. Samo was a large boy with short-cut black hair and mean eyes. "What do you want?" he asked without preamble.  
  
"I know the truth."  
  
The boy frowned in puzzlement. "About what?"  
  
Goku started to pace, his anger at Samo's thoughtlessness rising to the surface once again. "You caused a wolf attack and lied to your father. Now they're all dead."  
  
"So? They were just stupid animals, you know. It wasn't like they weren't going to attack us sooner or later." He practically puffed out his chest in pride. "Father said that I saved lives!"  
  
He had to concentrate for a moment on keeping his emotions in check. The boy was really trying his patience. "Look, you lied. What if *I* decided to kill you and your family over something that wasn't even your fault?"  
  
"My father's chief," he said, voice slightly trembling at the look in Goku's eyes. "You wouldn't dare."  
  
"Are you sure?" Samo studied him for a moment and came to the conclusion that the hypothetical homicide just might become reality. He took several paces backward to put more distance between him and Goku. "What-what do I have to do?"  
  
"To set things right?" Goku pretended to think about it. "First, you tell your father the truth."  
  
"What do I do after that?"  
  
"You apologize to everyone you've wronged." He couldn't tell him specifically that the boy he threatened deserved one because it might provoke another attack. "Do you understand?"  
  
Samo nodded. "Y-yes, sir."  
  
"Good." Goku patted him on the shoulder and was disturbed when the boy flinched slightly. He'd wanted to talk sense into him, not terrify him. "I'm not going to hurt you."  
  
Another shaky nod. "Whatever you say."  
  
With one last sad look at Samo, Goku let himself out of their home.  
  


***

  
  
The arrangement back to East District worked well. Goku flew on Kinto'un with his injured mother in front of him while Gohan rode on his brother's back. It trip took longer than before since he couldn't fly at top speed, but they made it back before sunset.  
  
ChiChi was sitting in a chair in the front yard reading a book when the fading sunlight was blocked by Goku's body. She turned around and immediately adopted an annoyed look. Marking her page, she stood up and placed her hands onto her hips. "Goku-sa! Didn't I tell you to be back at dinnertime? What in the world took you so long to return home?"  
  
"It's a long story," he answered. "Can it wait? I need to find someone to take care of her."  
  
That was when his wife noticed the wolves. ChiChi shrieked and hopped away, pressing her back to the front door. "You brought them home?!"  
  
He sighed and decided to treat her question as rhetorical. "Gohan, stay here with kaasan while I take obaasan to the doctor."  
  
"I don' wanna," he said, pouting.  
  
"Please?" A head shake. "I'll bring you back a surprise if you stay."  
  
His wife disapproved of bribing a child to get them to do something and vocally protested against it. "Gohan, you're staying because you should. That's it." She frowned at Goku as she grabbed the boy's hand. "I'll keep your dinner warm."  
  
"Arigatou," he smiled and flew off into the distance. "Ja, ChiChi!"  
  
Not knowing where to go, he decided to head to Western Capital and speak with Buruma. It was dark by the time he arrived and the Capsule Corporation building was covered with hundreds of tiny golden lights.  
  
He gently climbed off Kinto'un. "I'll be back in a minute, I promise," he whispered to the alpha female. She whined softly in response and licked his cheek.  
  
Goku pressed the doorbell and waiting impatiently for someone to answer. When no one did, he pounded on the door with his fist. "I need to talk to you, Buruma!" he shouted. "Open up!"  
  
An upstairs window was raised and a sleepy-eyed Buruma poked her curler-covered head out. "Do you know what time it is?!"  
  
"Iie."  
  
She sighed. "I didn't think so. I'll be down in a minute."  
  
True to her word, she took just under a minute. He smiled serenely at his friend who'd fixed him with a hard stare. "What do you want?"  
  
"I need an animal doctor for my mother."  
  
A confused blink. "Nani?"  
  
"My mother." He motioned behind him towards the hovering yellow cloud where the she lay asleep. "She got shot and I need to find someone to make her better."  
  
The young woman spoke slowly. "Your mother is a wolf?"  
  
Laughing, he said, "Not my *real* mother, Buruma! She sort of adopted me when I was little. C'mon, do I look like a wild animal?"  
  
"Sometimes," she muttered. "Hold on, let me get a phone book." Buruma returned quickly, eager to return to sleep. "You need a veterinarian, probably an animal hospital since they'll probably be the only ones open this late." She found several and tore out the page for him.  
  
He took it and looked sheepishly at his friend. "I have no idea how to get to these places. Could you give me a map or something?"  
  
She sighed again, deeper this time. "I'll get you a navigator. Just speak the address clearly into the little microphone and it'll direct you there. Bring it back to me when you're finished with it. In the daytime."  
  
"Okay. Arigatou!" He hugged her briefly and hopped back onto the cloud. "I'll pay you back!"  
  
Buruma watched him fly off into the distance and said to herself, "You owe me big time, Son Goku."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm aware that there are noticeable gaps in the story. How did Piccolo come to join the Z-Senshi? How did Tenshinhan and Chaozu? There are at least two side-stories to this one (they will be a part of the first Empire Anthology: Tales From Childhood), but I haven't finished them yet. If you must, use the canon explanations for now until I can come up with my own. :)

_The Second Tale of Shukumei: Little Child Found_  
Chapter 10

The hospital wasn't very crowded, but there were several people ahead of him. Goku tried all he could to convince the receptionist to allow him to cut in the line, but absolutely nothing worked. He sat down in a chair, defeated, and tried to entertain himself by watching the other occupants of the room.  
  
One woman caught his attention almost immediately. She was petite with short red hair and was being dwarfed by a very large dog that sat by her feet. The dog looked rather healthy for having been taken to an animal hospital.  
  
"He looks fine," Goku commented to the woman. "What's wrong with your dog?"  
  
"He hasn't been the same since I had him fixed last month. I thought that he would just bounce back, but no such luck."  
  
"Fixed" was a word he'd never heard used in the context she'd used it in. "What do you mean by 'fixed'?"  
  
"The doctor removed Zenko's testicles so that he couldn't get another dog pregnant." Goku winced in sympathy at the mere thought. If *he* had been mutilated like that, he would be depressed too! "This hospital has a very excellent animal psychologist... or so I hear. My friend had his cat neutered a few years ago and said that Doctor Amigawa had Jepi acting like his old self again in no time." She looked down for the very first time at his reason for being there. "So, what's wrong with your... wolf?"  
  
"Gunshot wound," he answered. "She was attacked by evil people." He reached down and stroked her head softly. "I'm glad I found her in time."  
  
An hour later it was finally his turn. Goku gently lifted his mother from the floor and carried her into an examination room. Doctor Masoni untied the cloth around her leg as soon as she was on the cold metal table and took a moment to assess the damage done.  
  
"I can see it gleaming in the light. It's not in very deep at all." He moved over to a counter and began opening cabinets. "I will administer a local anesthetic to her, remove the bullet, and sew her up. You can stay with her if you wish."  
  
"Okay." Goku moved around the table to reassure the wolf as the vet prepared the numbing drug. When he saw the needle, he lost all color in his face, but didn't make a sound.  
  
The doctor noticed. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I will be," he said after a hard swallow. "I don't like needles, but I'm okay if you don't come near me."  
  
The doctor injected the drug and waited a short while to give it time to take effect. Then he opened a package of sterilized tweezers, grabbed a fresh cotton ball, and got to work.  
  
Five minutes later Goku was filling out forms. Everything was fine and his mother was free to leave. There would be some pain for a few weeks, and he would have to bring her back to remove the stitches, but she would heal just fine.  
  
"You look pretty funny with that bald patch on your leg," he smiled, relieved that she would live. Goku's good humor lasted right up until he saw the bill for services rendered. "Um, I can't pay this."  
  
The receptionist sighed. "Can you pay at a later date?"  
  
"Maybe. I don't know."  
  
She sighed again.  
  
Eventually, he made plans to send a little money each month until the debt was paid.  
  


***

  
He'd entertained passing thoughts on the subject, but it was Gohan who caused him to see for himself. What did his mother and his brother think about? What did they feel when they gazed upon his small family? How did they feel about him? While not worded exactly that way, Gohan's innocent question sparked an idea in his mind.  
  
"When I talk to 'em, they don't talk back. Why, T'san?"  
  
Why, indeed? There was no real reason why they could not communication with each other, not anymore anyway. With the dragonballs, one could virtually have anything their heart desired. "Guess what, Gohan?" Bright, curious eyes stared up at him. "We're going on a trip!"  
  
"YAY!"  
  
In theory, nothing at all could go wrong with a simple trip around the word to collect small orange spheres. But Goku knew that the chance of it being a walk in the park was nil. He had never told his wife in detail about the trip he and Buruma had taken what felt like ages ago. If she knew how potentially dangerous it could be, not only would she forbid Gohan from going, but him as well.  
  
"T'san, where we going?"  
  
He didn't know how to explain it to him in a way that he would understand. Goku touched the four-star ball atop Gohan's hat. "Do you remember when I told you the story about jiisan's dragonball?"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"Well, we're going to find the other six just like this one and make a wish."  
  
Gohan's brow furrowed as he thought. "We make wish that b'san and j'san can talk?" He had to admit that his son was a lot smarter than he gave him credit for.  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Good!" He grabbed his father's hand and tried to drag him out of the house. "We go now!"  
  
Laughing, he said, "It's not that easy, son. First I have to tell your mother that we're leaving." He frowned at the mere thought of doing so. ChiChi wouldn't be happy that they were leaving again so soon -- especially on a trip with an unknown return date. "Then I have to make sure that jisan and baasan will be okay until we get back."  
  
" 'kay," he said before running off to his room.  
  
ChiChi was in the kitchen washing the dishes from lunch. She smiled as her husband entered, but it quickly turned into a frown when she noticed the nervous look on his face. "What did you do?"  
  
"Huh?" he blinked, startled. "Oh, um, nothing."  
  
She sighed, not liking the fact that she sometimes had to prod him for answers as if he were a child. "What do you want?"  
  
"There's something that Gohan and I need to do." Goku fell silent, unsure of the best way to proceed. He didn't think anything he could possibly say would curb her anger. Eventually, he realized that the best thing to do was to continue onward. Delaying the inevitable was being met with a very negative response. "We're going to find the dragonballs." He tensed up for the explosion that never came. Apparently, his wife had no idea what a dragonball was.  
  
"How long will it take?" she asked, calmly returning to her dishwashing.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"I see." She placed a plate into the rack to dry, her hand gripping it so tightly that her knuckles were white and fine cracks were beginning to crawl across the surface. Goku gulped and beat a hasty retreat.  
  
Thirty minutes later he and Gohan were flying on Kinto'un to Buruma's home. She had the only dragonball radar in existence and, besides that, he still hadn't returned her navigation device. Before showing up at the Capsule Corporation the day before, he hadn't seen her in two years. There was definitely a lot he needed to catch up on.  
  
"Konnichi-wa, Son-kun," his friend said brightly as she opened the door of her bedroom. Her mother had remembered him (as she did all handsome men) and told him to go on up. "Nice to see you in the daytime. Is your mother okay?"  
  
"Hai, she's fine. I came over to give this back to you and borrow the radar. Gohan and I want to make a wish."  
  
It was then that Buruma noticed the boy shyly peeking around his father's right leg. "He's adorable! Are you baby-sitting?"  
  
"Buruma Briefs meet Son Gohan. Gohan, this is my friend, Buruma."  
  
Remembering his manners, the boy bowed respectfully. "Ko'ichi-wa, Buma-san."  
  
"He's your son," she said in a stunned voice. "You and ChiChi's son. I wasn't even sure you even knew *how* to create a child!"  
  
Goku blushed crimson. "Let's just say that I learn pretty quickly."  
  
"So I see." She invited them both to take a seat while she looked for the radar. "Have you spoken to Kuririn lately?"  
  
He sighed. "Iie. I haven't seen him since the wedding. He knows where I am, but I don't know how to find him."  
  
"I bet that he's still on Roshi's island. He used to live in a monastery, right? The hentai's house is the only place he has to go." She handed him the circular radar. "How has ChiChi been?"  
  
"Same as always," he answered, wondering if he should tell her more. No one knew how he really felt about his marriage and, if he had his way, no one ever would.  
  
But Buruma had been his friend for many years and noticed the look of abject misery that briefly flashed across his face. She did not comment on it in front of Gohan and merely stared at him in concern instead.  
  
Father and son went on their way nearly an hour later. The two adults had relived old times and promised to get together with everyone sometime soon. Buruma suggested that the reunion be at the Capsule Corporation since everyone already knew where it was and said that she would start on the planning.  
  
Goku thought of seeing his friends again and smiled. He couldn't wait until next month.  
  


***

  
"ChiChi, you've never ridden Kinto'un without me before. Are you sure we can't just drive?"  
  
"I'll be fine, alright? Flying will be faster." What she didn't say was that the faster she arrived, the faster she could leave. ChiChi wasn't looking very forward to spending time with people who spoke of things she'd never experienced. They were Goku's friends and she wasn't very close to them.  
  
He nodded and placed Gohan in front of her. "Be good for Kaasan."  
  
"Otay."  
  
The only thing left to do before departure was to talk with his mother. "Are you sure you know the way?" he asked, worried that she would get lost.  
  
"We'll be fine, Goku." Humor sparkled in her dark eyes. "You worry far too much."  
  
Ever since he'd made the wish that he and Gohan could hold conversations with the wolves, he'd noticed many tiny things about them. Their eyes held expressions just as clearly as any human's did and he could read them just as well as he could read ChiChi's anger. "I want you to be around for a very long time, Okaasan."  
  
"I can protect her," his brother, Takanori, told him. "You know that I can."  
  
"Come on, Goku-sa!" ChiChi ordered. Listening to what sounded like growling, barks, whines, and howls always made her nervous. No matter what they meant to her husband, she could never forget that they were wild animals.  
  
"I'll see you there. Stay away from the people because they'll be afraid." He hugged them both briefly and flew off behind Kinto'un. After not flying under his own power for so long, he'd nearly forgotten what it felt like to have the wind rushing over his body and the complete freedom of movement. It made him feel like a kid again.  
  
The Capsule Corporation came into view far too soon. People down on the ground were looking up in awe, small children waving excitedly to the figures far above. It was the middle of the afternoon and so many people were outside enjoying the sun in Western Capital.  
  
Kuririn, Yamucha, Pu'ar, Tenshinhan, Chaozu, Roshi, and Oolong had already arrived and were setting up for a barbecue in the dinotorium. Two picnic tables were covered in red-and-white checked table cloths and Yamucha was behind the grill wearing a white apron that had a picture of an invitation on it that read, "To: the ladies, From: the cook. Kiss me." Goku laughed after he read it, but ChiChi didn't find anything amusing.  
  
"Konnichi-wa, minna," he greeted. "Long time no see."  
  
"Goku!" Yamucha saluted with his spatula. "You look so mature it's amazing!"  
  
He nodded in agreement. The Goku of fifteen years old in his wedding picture looked a lot younger than the Goku of seventeen years. He wondered if living with ChiChi had anything to do with how much he'd visibly aged. "I *feel* more mature." Gently, he pushed Gohan (who was once again hiding behind his body) forward. "This is my son, Gohan. He's three."  
  
Kuririn crouched down to Gohan's level. "He looks just like you. I'm your tousan's best-friend, Kuririn."  
  
Bowing, he said, "Ko'ichi-wa, Kuwe'in-san. Ko'ichi-wa, mi'a-san."  
  
"He's just so precious!" Buruma exclaimed, delighted.  
  
His parents beamed proudly. "Arigatou."  
  
The party had time to get into full swing before something went wrong. In the middle of his meal, Goku noticed something on the edge of his senses that immediately caused his body to grow taut. The other fighters noticed and they each extended their senses to the world around them.  
  
"How many?" Yamucha asked Goku since everyone knew that he was the most aware of them all.  
  
"At least a hundred. Some are stronger than others." Goku felt his blood began to stir at the mere thought of a battle. He sensed at least one ki in the group that rivaled his own.  
  
"You look... excited."  
  
Declining to comment on something so blatantly obvious to anyone with sight, he instead started to devise a plan. "They outnumber us about eight-to-one so we can't just attack them and get away with it."  
  
"Correction: now the odds are around six-to-one."  
  
In one collective movement, everyone present turned in the direction of the new voice. Goku's eyebrows rose when he recognized the very tall, green and pink form of Piccolo Daimou. The last time he'd seen him, the demon king had been trying to take revenge for the death of his father by ending his life. "Why do you even care?" he asked. "Saving the world would be a *nice* thing to do. I didn't think you'd be interested in something like that."  
  
Piccolo glared at the young man. "This planet is too important to be destroyed by alien invaders. One day it will be mine."  
  
"Sure, whatever." He stood and stretched, staring longingly at the remainder of his food for just a moment. "C'mon, we gotta save the world."  
  
ChiChi put her foot down. Literally. "Wait one second, Goku! Where do you think you're going?!"  
  
"To save the world," he repeated patiently as if his wife was hard of hearing... or had some sort of mental problem.  
  
"I heard you the first time!"  
  
"Then what's the problem?" Buruma asked her. "If they don't do it then we're all probably going to die."  
  
She absolutely hated not being in complete control of everything. "Go on," ChiChi mumbled. "Come back soon."  
  
"I will. Ai shiteru, ChiChi." He kissed her on the forehead. A tug on his pant leg made him look down at the teary face of his son.  
  
"T'san no go!"  
  
"I have to, Gohan," he replied as he crouched down. "Kaasan will take good care of you."  
  
Sniffling, he buried his face into his father's chest. "You come back?" he asked, voice muffled.  
  
"Of course I will. Don't worry." He kissed the top of his head and handed him to his mother. "If I'm not back before you go to sleep, I will be there in the morning. I love you, Gohan."  
  
"Otay. Wuv you too."  
  
Goku motioned to his friends and Piccolo. It was time to go.  
  
They flew to the place where Goku led them. He knew that the group of kis were heading down to Chikyuu several miles away from the eastern boundary of western capital -- they felt that far away. Other than the energy reading, he knew nothing about the newcomers. What would they look like? How would they behave? Were they even hostile at all? Maybe he was making a terrible mistake by showing such an open display of aggression. But, then again, maybe he *was* doing the best thing after all. Well, if nothing horrible happened they all could have a good laugh about it afterward.  
  
The sun shone down on them mercilessly as the small group flew over a fairly large forest. Several minutes ago they'd clearly seen the shapes of four ships descend from space and land on the ground. Now, the gap was rapidly being closed and Goku still had no plan.  
  
"I think we should try to talk with them, first," Kuririn shouted above the wind. "You said yourself that there's no way we can defeat them all."  
  
"Anyone else with an idea?" he asked them. Piccolo was all for forcing them physically from his future kingdom, but the rest sided with Kuririn. Goku had to admit that it made sense. "Alright, we'll see why they're here. If it's a bad reason, then we'll have to fight them."  
  
Kuririn gulped and began to pray. "Kami, please let them be here for a good reason. I'm only eighteen years old; far too young to die. My life hasn't even begun yet!"  
  
Whatever happened, Goku had faith that they would all try their best and that was all he could hope for.

**Author's Note:**

> [1] nana = 7, hachi = 8.  
> [2] it means "mayor" in Japanese.


End file.
